Department for Transport

M1: Lighting

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to install lighting on further sections of the M1 motorway; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The Highways Agency annually assesses what parts of the Network should be lit. The next review will be April 2015. From next year, this will be an automated process using a computer model.

M1: Northamptonshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reason is for the current roadworks on the M1 motorway south of junction 19; and when he expects those works to be completed and all carriageways open.

Mr John Hayes: The scheme is undertaking essential maintenance, replacing the existing steel barrier with a new rigid concrete barrier.　 As part of this work the following will also be carried out:- removal of the life expired lighting along the M1 J19 to 16 replacement verge lighting will be installed around Watford Gap Motorway Service Area drainage work and installation of traffic management tools i.e. CCTV cameras.  The M1 Junction 19 to 16 Central Reserve Barrier scheme commenced on site in August 2014 and is due to be complete in Summer 2015.

ParkingEye

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the activities of Parking Eye and its treatment of old and vulnerable motorists.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department receives regular correspondence on parking issues and is aware of the concerns about the activities of some private parking companies. In the last three years we have received approximately 60 letters regarding Parking Eye Limited, although none of them referred to "old" or "vulnerable" persons specifically.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information requested is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Taxis: Exhaust Emissions

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the proportion of taxis in London and the UK that are zero emission capable; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are not aware of any zero emission capable, purpose built taxis in use in London or the rest of the UK. However, a number of zero emission capable, purpose built taxis are planned from a range of manufacturers, and are due for release 2015 onwards. In addition, a small number of zero emission hydrogen taxis were used during the London Olympics. Many private hire vehicle companies across the UK already use zero emission capable vehicles – which are typically hybrid or electric cars, used for commercial purposes.

Buses: Electric Vehicles

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the proportion of buses in London and the UK that are hybrid electric; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information is not available in this form. However, the attached table (and in the link below) shows the number of buses funded as part of the English Green Bus Fund, including hybrid buses:  https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/344669/green-bus-fund-table.pdf.  Details of hybrids in the rest of the UK would be a matter for the relevant devolved administration.  



214862 - English Green Bus Fund Table
(PDF Document, 65.17 KB)

ParkingEye

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review the data sharing arrangements between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and Parking Eye.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has safeguards in place to ensure that the release of information to private parking management companies is fair and lawful. These arrangements are kept under constant review.

Shipping: Philippines

Mr John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on the recruitment of seafarers to work on (a) UK flagged and (b) non-UK flagged vessels in the short sea shipping sector.

Mr John Hayes: I have not had discussions with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration with regards to the recruitment of seafarers to either UK or non-UK flagged vessels in the short sea shipping sector.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Shepherd's Bush Market

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish any correspondence between his Department and London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham before June 2014, on the Shepherd's Bush Market development scheme and the compulsory purchase order granted by Hammersmith and Fulham local authority.

Brandon Lewis: There is no substantive correspondence, other than some routine correspondence between the Council and the National Planning Casework Unit on procedural matters. I have enclosed relevant procedural correspondence before June 2014 as an attachment to this answer.



Correspondence
(PDF Document, 1.28 MB)

Local Government: Pay

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the level of salaries paid to local authority chief executives; what guidance his Department gives to local councils on that matter; what measures are in place to prevent excessive salaries being paid by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Planning Permission

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many recommendations his Department has received from Natural England or English Nature to call in a planning case in each year since 2005; whether or not each case was granted; how much time elapsed in each case between the representation and the Secretary of State's decision whether or not to call in the decision for his determination; and which of those representations related to concerns over the impacts on a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is as follows, based on the records we hold: 2005 : No requests received. 2006 : One request was received, this was called in (Receipt: 01/03/06; Decision: 14/08/06). 2007 : No requests received. 2008 : No requests received. 2009: One request was received; this related to a Site of Specific Scientific Interest; this was not called-in as the application was refused by the local authority (Receipt: 29/10/09; Decision: 17/11/09). Jan/Feb 2010: 1 request was received; this was not called-in (Receipt: 20/01/10; Decision: 24/02/10). 2011: 2 requests were received, they were not called-in; this was as the application was refused by the local authority in one case (Receipt: 15/07/11; Decision: 18/08/11); in the other, a local authority and the applicant were able to negotiate an agreement to address the issue in question (Receipt: 18/07/11; Decision: 16/12/11). 2012: No requests received. 2013: No requests received. 2014: No requests received. It should be noted that the Secretary of State often receives requests to intervene well in advance of the planning application being considered by the local planning authority. Generally the Secretary of State will not consider whether or not to call in an application until the local planning authority has had an opportunity to consider the case itself, and is minded to make a decision. This will affect the length of time between receipt and the decision.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Kris Hopkins: The Department's embedded processes, including three-way invoice matching via DCLG finance systems, prevent contractors being paid in excess of agreed contracted amounts for goods and services. Any payment made as a result of contract variation or permitted extension would be for additional or revised work only and still subject to full supporting contractual documentation.

Domestic Violence

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of (a) time limits on length of stay and (b) quotas for local women within refuges or victims of domestic violence; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: This Government has not introduced limits on the length of stay nor quotas around who can access refuges. Decisions on how long victims should stay will be made by local authorities. I can inform the House that today the Government has launched a new £10 million fund to strengthen refuge provision which will help ensure a resilient national network. The funding bidding conditions, as well as new statutory guidance make it clear that local authorities should provide support for those who need it, including victims of abuse from other areas. Local authorities should similarly not apply arbitrary limits for time spent in refuge accommodation. The new statutory guidance also advises authorities to work with the service provider to consider how long a victim needs to stay before the provision of other accommodation with floating support may be more appropriate There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary. This new funding is in addition to the £6.5 billion provided by this Government to help vulnerable people through housing related support. A proportion of this money will be used by local authorities to commission refuge services. In addition we have made over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This funding will also help the most vulnerable in society, including victims of domestic abuse. We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible. This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies. Copies of the associated documents are attached to this answer. 



Bidding Prospectus
(PDF Document, 340.74 KB)




Guidance on Domestic Abuse and Homlessness
(PDF Document, 268.5 KB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office monitors all contracts to ensure best value. Where appropriate contracts will be awarded to provide Open Book Costing or an objective cost adjustment mechanism to meet service needs or account for external forces e.g. inflation.Contracts are awarded across the global network of overseas missions in over 170 countries, so the majority of contract management is undertaken locally by Officers with delegated authority. It is not possible to answer this question without incurring disproportionate cost.

Chevening Scholarships Programme

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of Chevening scholarships in each of the last three years.

Mr Hugo Swire: The budget for the Chevening Programme in the past three financial years including this year is as follows:2012-13 - £17.5 million – 712 scholars2013-14 - £16.75 million – 620 scholars2014-15 - £18.24 million – 650-700 scholars (projected)Approximately 90% of Chevening funding is spent on scholarships at British Universities, scholar events and alumni activities each year. The remaining 10% is spent on administration and overhead costs.This funding is supplemented by an increasing contribution from private business and universities (for example, through fee waivers). Partnership funding this financial year stands at around £5.6 million.

Thailand

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Thailand on sex tourism; and what steps he is taking to stop (a) paedophiles and (b) others from the UK using Thailand as a destination for sex tourism.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK liaises with Thailand to counter a range of activity, including sex tourism and child exploitation. A delegation from Thailand will attend the Global Summit to Tackle Online Child Sexual Exploitation in December. It is aimed at addressing the growing threat to children and will focus on how government, industry and civil society can join together to tackle this crime.The National Crime Agency (NCA) uses a number of tactics to disrupt the activities of British child sex offenders and other offenders in Thailand. These include the extradition of offenders for trial in the UK, using Mutual Legal Assistance channels in criminal matters to share evidence to support prosecution, and sharing information to enable the exclusion or deportation of convicted offenders through the Thai Immigration Act.The NCA engages in investigations with the Thai authorities where appropriate and in accordance with British Government Human Rights guidelines. It is a member of the Foreign Law Enforcement Community in Thailand's Child Sex Offender Working Group. For several years the NCA Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre Command, with funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has delivered training in child protection throughout the region, including Thailand. The International Child Protection Network also has an Advisory Panel in Thailand. This is made up of officials from relevant Thai bodies, non-governmental organisations and relevant UK law enforcement bodies. In addition, a key strand of our engagement in Thailand is focused on British criminals who use Thailand as an operating platform for their international criminal enterprises. High-level political bilateral exchanges have been affected by the coup, but I discussed joint working on these issues during the first UK/Thailand Strategic Dialogue which took place in Bangkok in May 2013. Officials in Bangkok and the UK continue to discuss these issues regularly with Thai counterparts.

Burma

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued on the use of the word Rohingya in communications with the government of Burma.

Mr Hugo Swire: No guidance has been issued and it is a word that we continue to use in communications with the government of Burma. The history of the word Rohingya is contested in Burma, but whatever the history we believe in the right of minorities to choose the name by which they are identified. I and other British Ministers are on record using the word Rohingya.

Burma

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with his Burmese counterpart on the Rohingya in Burma forming a political party in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Embassy in Rangoon have raised our strong concerns. We were disappointed about the recent passing of legislation by the Burmese Parliament that will deny holders of temporary registration cards the ability to form and join political parties. This affects a majority of the Rohingya and some 400,000 members of other minorities. We are also particularly concerned by an expected draft Bill that would deny these individuals the right to vote in next year’s elections.British Ministers and officials continue to raise our wider concerns about the treatment of the Rohingya with Burmese counterparts. I did so in October with the Minister of Immigration and the new chief Minister of Rohingya State.

Palestinians

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in (a) the government of Israel and (b) the Palestinian authority following the recent vote in the House on Palestinian statehood.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: On 20 October I discussed the issue of Palestinian statehood with Israel's Ambassador Taub and the Palestinian Head of Mission in London, Professor Hassassain. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem have discussed it with senior officials from both sides.

Islamic State

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the income ISIL receives from oil fields; what steps he is taking to restrict this income; and whether this oil can find its way into the UK market.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We, and our international partners, estimate that a significant portion of ISIL’s revenue comes from its sale of oil. Extortion is its other main source of funds. It is not possible accurately to estimate these revenues.We assess that current oil production in ISIL held areas is a fraction of pre-conflict levels. Oil is used by ISIL, sold in areas under its control, and smuggled across borders. We do not have any evidence to suggest that oil from ISIL-controlled areas is reaching the UK.Degrading ISIL’s finances is a key part of our strategy for defeating ISIL, and tackling the threat it poses to the UK and UK interests abroad.We are working closely with coalition partners both to better understand the nature of ISIL’s finances and to disrupt them. It is vital that the international community works together to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 2170, which requires members to cut off ISIL’s sources of finance.

Ukraine

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about future relations with Ukraine.

Mr David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 17 November where EU Foreign Ministers reiterated their support for the Minsk Protocol and Minsk Memorandum and urged all parties to implement them swiftly. They once again underlined the Russian Federation's responsibility in this context. The EU welcomed the holding of parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 26 October and looked forward to the urgent formation of a new government. They called for an intensification of much needed political and economic reforms in Ukraine, including constitutional reform, decentralisation, reform of the judiciary, law enforcement, fight against corruption and ensuring the rights of persons belonging to national minorities. The EU underlined that a renewed inclusive, country-wide national dialogue on reforms will be important to consolidate Ukraine's unity and internal cohesion and called on all sides to work towards early local elections in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in accordance with Ukrainian law, as foreseen in the Minsk Protocol, as the only legal and legitimate means of renewing the democratic mandate of the local authorities. The EU considers the holding of "presidential and parliamentary elections" in Donetsk and Luhansk "People’s Republics" on 2 November as illegal and illegitimate and will not recognise them. The Foreign Affairs Council called on the European External Action Service and the European Commission to present a proposal for a decision by the end of November on additional listings targeting separatists.

Visits Abroad

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2014 to Question 214210, what the cost to his Department was of providing support to the Scottish Minister for Environment and Climate Change on his visit to Chile in October 2014.

Mr David Lidington: The Scottish Minister for Environment and Climate Change visited Chile in October 2014. Foreign and Commonwealth Office assistance for this visit largely consisted of support from the British Embassy in Santiago provided from within existing resources. Specific additional costs amounted to £398 for transport.

Egypt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken to ensure that UK visitors to Egypt are aware of the dangers of H5N1 bird flu virus.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We advise British Nationals to consult the Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) Travel Advice before travelling to Egypt, which provides the latest information on the bird flu virus in Egypt. It currently states that cases of bird flu in Egypt are mostly in rural areas, that the risk to humans from Avian Influenza is believed to be very low, that live animal markets, poultry farms and other close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds should be avoided, and that poultry and egg dishes should be thoroughly cooked. We keep our Travel Advice under continuous review based on robust and up-to-date information and analysis from our experts in-country and we will make further updates to our Travel Advice as necessary.

Islamic State

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the killing of hostages by ISIL.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is a long-standing British Government policy not to discuss operational details of kidnap cases.

Hezbollah

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of a recent bomb attack by Hezbollah against Israeli soldiers on the Lebanon border with Israel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of reports of an explosive device detonated in the Shebaa Hills area of Israel on 7 October, which injured two Israeli soldiers. Hizballah has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Israel Defense Forces responded with artillery fire into Lebanon. We call on all sides to cease hostilities and honour United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

Afghanistan

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has had from the US administration about the (a) treatment of remaining prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and (b) efforts to seek the release of Shaker Aamer.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: With the exception of those relating to Shaker Aamer, the British Government receives no specific assurances from the US administration about the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, as no British nationals remain among them. However, whilst Shaker Aamer is not a British national, his connections to the UK mean that he remains a high priority for the British Government. We continue to seek assurances regarding Mr Aamer’s health and welfare through our engagement with the US authorities, and we continue to make clear to the US that we want him released and returned to the UK as a matter of urgency.

Attorney General

Prosecutions

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, if he will bring forward proposals to introduce a right of appeal against a charging decision of the Crown Prosecution Service on the grounds that it is unduly lenient.

Mr Robert Buckland: Where a suspect is charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (“CPS”) with a criminal offence, there are no plans to introduce a general right of appeal relating to the offence charged on the ground that it is too lenient. There are already a number of mechanisms in place to assess the quality of prosecutors’ decision making including external reviews by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and internal CPS processes such as Individual Quality Assessments.   Every charging decision made by the CPS must be in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors (“the Code”). Unless the Threshold Test is applied, there must be sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it must be in the public interest to prosecute every offence charged. The Code requires that charges are selected which reflect the seriousness and extent of the offending, enable the case to be presented in a clear and simple way and give the courts adequate powers to sentence. The Code also makes it clear that review is a continuing process and that prosecutors must take account of any change in circumstances that develops as the case progresses.   Victims can currently exercise their rights under the CPS Victims’ Right to Review scheme. This scheme enables victims to request a review of a CPS decision made after 5th June 2013 not to bring charges, to discontinue proceedings, offer no evidence or leave certain charges to “lie on file”. In those cases where it has not been possible to resolve the issue to the victim’s satisfaction at a local level, the decision is independently reviewed.

Offences against Children: Prosecutions

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) men and (b) women were prosecuted for offences covering sexual activity with a child in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of prosecuted defendants, flagged as child abuse and whose principal offence was categorised as a sexual offence. These data can be further disaggregated by the gender of defendants.   During each of the last nine years, where figures are available, the number of completed prosecutions of men and women charged with sexual offences involving child abuse, is as follows:(a) Men(b) Women2005-20063,441532006-20073,764782007-20083,866742008-20093,945832009-20104,060772010-20114,715792011-20124,571822012-20133,987602013-20144,30067   Data Source: CPS Management Information System – Data for 2004-2005 is not collated centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Business: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps his Department is taking to support businesses in Stafford constituency.

Matthew Hancock: I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 22 October 2014 to Question UIN 210227.   The primary support for business in Stafford and elsewhere is our long term economic plan which is delivering jobs, growth and low inflation.   16 start up loans have been made available in Stafford and 1,000 Apprenticeships in the past year.   My Hon. Friend may also wish to note that in the Stafford constituency there is one Round 1 Regional Growth Fund project with a grant of £4 million leveraging £57 million of private sector investment and creating or safeguarding 1,600 jobs. The grant will help the company undertake research and development for the creation of High Voltage Direct Current power transmission products, including the installation of equipment at a new engineering centre of excellence owned and run by the company in Stafford. It will create 200 new jobs and safeguard 1,400 existing jobs.   Businesses can access support via two local programmes that cover the Stafford constituency. These are run by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the above there are a number of national Regional Growth Fund programmes which companies in Stafford can apply to.   Stoke and Staffordshire LEP area is one of 15 Wave 2 Cities who are receiving £6.4m Government funding to establish growth hubs in 2014-15, from a £32m Regional Growth Fund programme managed by Lancaster University which also includes local business support. Growth hubs are intended to raise awareness and take up of business support, impact of business support, simplify the local business support landscape, eliminate duplication and improve the impact of business support, helping to increase private sector growth.

Financial Services: ICT

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the value of the financial technology sector to the economy.

Matthew Hancock: Financial technology is not separately identified within Official Statistics and there is at present no workable definition to identify business activity in this area from other financial or computer and information services. Therefore the employment and financial contribution of these specific activities cannot easily be assessed.

British Business Bank: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he made of the level of the support given by (a) the Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) other organisations in Northern Ireland for the British Business Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: The Northern Ireland Executive and other organisations in Northern Ireland work closely with counterparts in the British Business Bank. The Bank is engaged on the Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance between HM Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, most recently meeting on 15 October 2014; in February 2014, Invest NI hosted a Roadshow for the British Business Bank to promote its solutions to financial intermediaries; and in September 2014, the British Business Bank presented at an event hosted by the Federation of Small Businesses in Belfast which looked at how to harness the power of SMEs in Northern Ireland. The British Business Bank will also be hosting a road show in Northern Ireland in early 2015.   In Northern Ireland, the Business Bank works through delivery partners to deliver the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, the Investment Programme (including its predecessor Business Finance Partnership), and the Start Up Loans Programme. This activity complements the venture capital programmes run by Invest NI.   The Enterprise Finance Guarantee has unlocked more than £38 million of lending in Northern Ireland since its launch in 2009. Currently, the programme supports over 130 businesses with £13 million of loans.   The Investment Programme builds upon the success of the Business Finance Partnership, and is open to applications from finance providers in Northern Ireland. The combined Investment Programmes supported £2 million of lending to businesses in Northern Ireland between July and September 2014.   The British Business Bank has signed up four Start Up Loans providers which are active in Northern Ireland and are making progress in delivering the programme. The programme has now provided Start Up Loans worth nearly £900,000 in Northern Ireland.

NHS: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government requesting the exemption of the Welsh National Health Service from negotiations on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership.

Matthew Hancock: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership (TTIP) and the NHS have been raised and discussed with the Welsh Government at official and Ministerial level during Joint Ministerial Committee meetings.   In the negotiations, the European Commission has explicitly ruled out public services from the scope of any market liberalisation in TTIP, and it has therefore not been necessary to discuss any exclusions related to specific public services.

Nuclear Engineering

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when a decision will be made on the location of the new nuclear engineering college.

Nick Boles: The industry is developing a detailed proposal which is designed to meet the skill specialisms that will be needed by different parts of the industry, including for new build and decommissioning. The proposal will build on existing and planned capital investment in facilities and equipment, and ensure strong alignment with higher education institutions and other providers of vocational education. A decision on location will be made once this work has been completed.

Post Offices: Rural Areas

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Network Transformation programme on rural communities; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: I refer my hon Friend to the response to her recent written question, UIN 212643.   To be clear, the Government is securing, modernising and protecting the Post Office network across all communities in the UK – including, or course, branches in rural communities.   Since 2012, the Network Transformation programme has seen over 3,400 branches modernised, and a further 3,400 branches designated as Community Branches. These branches are the last shop in the community, and many are in rural and remote communities. Community Branches are benefitting from access to the £20 million Government funded Community Branch Fund, which is providing investment into these socially important branches.

Post Offices: Rural Areas

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many rural sub post offices existed in (a) 2010 and (b) 2013.

Jo Swinson: As required under Section 11 of the Postal Services Act 2011, the Secretary of State lays a report before Parliament providing details of Post Office Ltd’s network. The most recent of these reports was laid in July 2014. These annual network reports show the following: Financial YearTotal network sizeRural network size% rural network2010-1111,8206,46954.7%2013-1411,6966,36254.4%  In 2010 this Government made a clear commitment to end the closure programmes of the previous administration. Since 2010 we have committed nearly £2 billion to maintain, modernise and protect the Post Office network, and these figures show that the size of the network is at its most stable for a generation.

Emigration: Skilled Workers

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what research he has commissioned on the economic loss incurred as a result of the emigration of highly-skilled workers from the UK.

Jo Swinson: No such work has been commissioned to date. In the year ending March 2014 net migration to the UK, the difference between the number of people entering and leaving the UK, stood at +243,000. Latest figures from the ONS show that 316,000 emigrated from the UK whilst 560,000 immigrated to it. Of those emigrating 131,000 were UK citizens, accounting for 41% of the total numbers, and of this number 57% emigrated for work related reasons, (although there is no clarification whether the work was highly skilled or not).

Remembrance Day

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues on the creation of a new bank holiday on 11 November to honour the armed forces.

Jo Swinson: The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to celebrate a variety of occasions. We have had many suggestions for the creation of a bank holiday after Remembrance Sunday, to celebrate the contribution of the armed forces. We fully understand the support for the idea, as our armed forces do a tremendous job and sadly some make the ultimate sacrifice for our country.   We believe however that Remembrance Sunday is the most fitting way to commemorate our armed forces, and so we have no plans to observe their achievements and their great sacrifices by means of a new bank holiday.   We also have to bear in mind the costs of additional bank holidays. The most recent assessment for the Diamond Jubilee is that a bank holiday across the whole of the UK costs employers around £1.2bn.

Business: Clacton

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of his policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises on businesses in Clacton constituency.

Matthew Hancock: Small businesses are vital to our economy and our small business owners have driven this economic recovery. The Clacton constituency has benefitted from a number of support schemes. The Business Bank’s Start-Up Loan programme has already provided 26 loans, with a value of £99,230 to people starting a business in Clacton. And since May 2010, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has supported 14 loans in the area with a total value of £1.8m.   We are committed to making Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and are doing this in a number of ways:   A more stable economic environment.£10 billion of financing will be unlocked for smaller business over the next 5 years by our British Business Bank;Government grants of up to £3,000 for better internet connectivity are available to small businesses;The Business Support Helpline is available to provide bespoke information and advice;Cuts to corporation tax from 28% to 21%; and£2,000 cut from the National Insurance bills of small firms from the new Employment Allowance.

Consumers: Protection

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of consolidating Government schemes relating to the accreditation of tradespeople.

Jo Swinson: The Government aims to foster greater collaboration between schemes aimed at protecting the consumer as it believes that such collaborations will both enhance clarity and protection to the consumer and thus further marginalise the unscrupulous trader. To support these ambitions relevant Departments are engaged in exploratory discussions to foster closer working between government-sponsored schemes in the home repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market.

Defence: Kuwait

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will list all meetings between Ministers in his Department and representatives of Kuwaiti defence companies in each of the last four years.

Matthew Hancock: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data   Information for April – June 2014 is due to be published soon.

Bayer

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with Bayer plc in the last five years.

George Freeman: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data   Information for April – June 2014 is due to be published soon. Details of meetings with officials are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Insolvency

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the effect of the changes to insolvency litigation in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on the Government's ability to tackle director misconduct.

Jo Swinson: Ministers are regularly in touch about matters in which they have a common interest. The changes in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 are not expected to have any impact on the c.1, 200 directors we disqualify every year as a result of actions brought by officials in The Insolvency Service.

Defence: Qatar

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will list all meetings between Ministers in his Department and representatives of Qatari defence companies in each of the last four years.

Matthew Hancock: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data   Information for April – June 2014 is due to be published soon.

Postal Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received form private sector mail delivery companies on delivering mail in urban areas of the UK; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such proposals on the Royal Mail's ability to deliver Universal Service Provision in rural areas.

Jo Swinson: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers and officials meet intermittently with representatives of UK postal companies, though there have not been any recent representations from such operators specifically on the issue of delivering mail in urban areas of the country.   Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom as an experienced and independent regulator the primary statutory duty to secure the provision of the universal service to all addresses – urban and rural – in the UK. Ofcom maintains an ongoing monitoring regime which tracks Royal Mail’s performance and any actual or potential market impacts on the provision of the universal service. Ofcom has said that their own evidence clearly shows that the service is not currently under threat.   Ofcom has been reviewing the case which Royal Mail has been making about the potential impact of competition on their ability to provide that service and is expected to make a statement very shortly. More information about Ofcom’s regulatory regime can be found on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk/).   The BIS Select Committee is currently carrying out an inquiry into postal competition in the UK and postal operators have recently submitted their evidence on market competition to inform the inquiry. Copies of written submissions can be found on Parliament’s website (http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-innovation-and-skills/inquiries/parliament-2010/competition-in-the-uk-postal-sector-/?type=Written#pnlPublicationFilter).

Higher Education: Disability

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Statement of 7 April 2014 on higher education student support: changes to Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA), what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes announced in that statement on (a) the level of non-medical support given to students in higher education and (b) decision by disabled students to enter or remain in higher education.

Greg Clark: The Government’s Disabled Students’ Allowances Equality Analysis considered the impact of all the changes on students with protected characteristics.   We do not believe that these proposals will discourage disabled students from entering or remaining in higher education

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much and what proportion of the total annual expenditure of the Competition and Markets Authority was spent on activities relating to the motor insurance market in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: The Competition and Markets Authority became the UK’s lead competition and consumer body in April 2014, combining the Competition Commission (CC) with many of the functions of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). It does not keep records of its expenditure by market. However, based on approximate time allocations and all-inclusive staff costs, and taking into account some external costs such as the cost of commissioning surveys, the total cost of the CC/CMA market inquiry into private motor insurance (which ran from 28 September 2012 to 24 September 2014) was approximately £2million. On the assumption that this cost was spread evenly over time, this would have represented approximately 4% of the CC’s costs in 2013/14.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much and what proportion of the total annual expenditure of the Financial Reporting Council was spent on activities relating to the motor insurance market in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: I understand that the Hon Member has already been in correspondence with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) on this issue.   The FRC publishes annual reports on its activity and in addition reports to parliament on the exercise of its statutory functions.

Low Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to encourage employers to implement the living wage; and what estimate he has made of the number of employees who earn less than the living wage.

Jo Swinson: We have encouraged employers by publicly expressing our support for paying the Living Wage when it is affordable and not at the expense of jobs.   To encourage higher living standards we have: raised the personal allowance providing an additional £700 in employee’s pay packets, increased the National Minimum Wage year-on-year despite the worst recession in living memory and on October 1st 2014 increased the minimum wage in real terms for the first time since 2007. The Low Pay Commission has reported that real increases are set to continue each year providing the economy continues to grow.   Finally, recent employment growth means that there are now more people in work than ever before providing welcome opportunities for those seeking work.   According to the 2014 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings there are around 5.7 million paid below the Living Wage or 22.7 per cent of workers.

Department for International Development

New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the New Alliance for Food and Security and Nutrition programmes on small-scale food producers in areas supported by that programme.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Every DFID programme which is contributing to the New Alliance initiative is subject to DFID’s annual review processes. In addition, this year partner governments have been conducting their first annual reviews of the effects of the New Alliance at country level. The list of countries who have submitted reports to date is available on the New Alliance website.

Slavery

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the implication for its policies of the figure in the Global Slavery Index of 0.5 per cent of the world's population living as slaves.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Modern slavery affects people from all over the world, including here in the United Kingdom. This Government is committed to stamping out this abhorrent crime, building on the UK’s strong track record in supporting victims and fighting the perpetrators.

Disability

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff worked in her Department's central disability team in (a) June 2014 and (b) November 2014.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In June 2014 there were two members of staff with some responsibility for disability. In November 2014 there are now four staff working on disability and a Director appointed as Disability Champion.

Disability

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has appointed a senior disability champion for her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has appointed a senior level managerial champion at Director level. Their role is to ensure that the disability framework is delivered throughout the department, demand accountability from teams and increase organisational ambition on disability.

Department for Education

Class Sizes: Heywood

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) junior schools in Heywood and Middleton constituency have class sizes in excess of 30 pupils.

Mr David Laws: According to the January 2014 school census, there were a total of seven schools with one or more infant (key stage 1) classes in excess of 30 pupils in Heywood and Middleton constituency. All of these classes had between 31 and 35 pupils.   There were a further eight schools with one or more junior (key stage 2) classes in excess of 30 pupils. All but one of these classes had between 31 and 35 pupils.

Ministry of Justice

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: (a) Expenditure for external contractors is aligned within the Ministry of Justice to that of Cabinet Office Controls. Contractors are sourced via Pan Government contractual arrangements and rates are set by the contract in line with contractors experience and the job role required. Contractors are not able to charge more for their services than the initial price agreed at time of appointment. Pan Government arrangements date back to 1/4/11 and no information prior to this date is available. (b) Since May 2010 there have been around 70 contracts awarded by The Ministry of Justice to provide the provision of consultancy. To establish whether a consultancy company have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services we would need to interrogate both the files and companies to obtain the information required and then review and collate that information. By doing so we would incur disproportionate costs in answering this question. Temporary staff and consultants are only used to fill business critical posts and provide essential services where they can provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not currently available in house.

Knives: West Yorkshire

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of all sentences handed down for (a) knife possession and (b) aggravated knife possession at (i) Keighley Magistrates' Court and (ii) Bradford Crown Court were custodial sentences in the last year for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: Knives on our streets are a social scourge. Unlawful possession of a knife or offensive weapon is already a serious criminal offence (which carries a maximum 4 year custodial sentence). We are building on that to send a clear and unequivocal message that those who use a knife or offensive weapon to threaten another person are behaving in a wholly unacceptable manner and can expect an automatic custodial sentence. This Government introduced the offences of threatening with a knife or offensive weapon in public or in a school. And last year, the Government made changes to the Simple Cautions Guidance issued to police to restrict the use of cautions for certain offences, including knife possession, in all but exceptional circumstances. The Ministry of Justice is also legislating on these changes within the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, to make it absolutely clear that cautions should no longer be used for serious offences such as those involving a knife or offensive weapon. Within the sentencing framework, it is for judges and magistrates to decide the appropriate sentence in individual cases taking account of the harm the offence caused and the culpability of the offender. Under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, there is an obligation on courts, when sentencing for offences, to follow the guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council, unless it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. Custodial sentences for knife possession handed down at Keighley Magistrates' Court and Bradford Crown Court, for the last available year, were as follows: Offences involving the possession of a knife or offensive weapon resulting in immediate custody at selected courts.  Number of offences and percentages  12 months ending June 2014  Bradford Crown CourtOffences resulting in immediate custody23 Custody rate (%)55   Keighley Magistrate Courts1Offences resulting in immediate custody13 Custody rate (%)21Source: MoJ Police National Computer (PNC) 1 Includes Bradford and Keighley Local Justice Area and Keighley Divison magistrates courts.  In the 12 months ending June 2014 there were two aggravated knife possession offences sentenced to immediate custody at Bradford Crown Court, and there was only a single aggravated knife possession offence sentenced to immediate custody at Keighley magistrate courts. The figures provided have been drawn from an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Department. The PNC holds details of all convictions and cautions given for recordable offences committed in England and Wales. In addition, as with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Terrorism: Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2014 to Question 204644, in the case of the person who re-offended by committing a further terrorist-related offence after being released from prison for a previous terrorist-related offence, (a) what offence that person was originally convicted of, (b) what the length of the original prison sentence was, (c) how much of that sentence had been served, (d) what the new offence was, (e) what the licence recall position is and (f) what sentence the court handed down for the new offence.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2014 to Question 204644, in the case of the four people who re-offended by committing non terrorist-related offences after being released from prison for terrorist-related offences, if he will list (a) the offence originally they had been convicted of, (b) the length of the original prison sentence, (c) how much of that sentence had been served, (d) what the circumstances of the new offences were, (e) what the licence recall position is and (f) what sentence the court handed down for the new offences.

Andrew Selous: My Honourable Friend asks for specific and detailed information about individual offenders. Once an assessment has been made of how much of this information can and should be provided, I will write to him

Bail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2014 to Question 208509, what amount of surety monies was not collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and surety had been given on their behalf before bail was granted in each of the last three years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Information on the amount of surety monies not collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and surety had been given on their behalf before bail was granted in each of the last three years is in the process of being extracted from the relevant IT systems. I will write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Shipley, as soon as the information is available.

Courts: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2014 to Question 209535, at which court each such violent incident took place; what the nature of each such incident was; and who the victim was of each such incident.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Courts & Tribunals Service takes the issue of security within courts extremely seriously and has a robust security and safety system to protect all court users and the Judiciary.This system includes mandatory bag searches, metal detectors and surveillance cameras, as well as court security officers who have legislative powers to protect all those in the court building. The powers of the court security officers include the ability to restrain and remove people from the building should there be a need.Our security system is continually monitored to ensure that it is effective and proportionate and mitigates against the risks faced.Information on incidents of physical or verbal assault reported in Magistrates’ Courts and Crown Courts between April 2010 and March 2013 is provided in the table below. Providing more information about which incidents specifically involved physical violence could only be achieved at disproportionate cost due to the need to redact personal details.



Magistrates and Crown Court Incidents 2010-13
(Excel SpreadSheet, 54.5 KB)

Belmarsh Prison

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners held in HMP Belmarsh for what offences were first time offenders on 31 December 2013.

Andrew Selous: Of the 454 prisoners held at HMP Belmarsh Prison on 31 December 2013 that were matched on the PNC, 57 were recorded as first time offenders. A breakdown of their offences is given in the table below.The figures provided have been drawn from an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Department. The PNC holds details of all convictions and cautions given for recordable offences committed in England and Wales. In addition, as with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.First time offenders in Belmarsh Prison on 31 December 2013 - by offence type of first offence (using new ONS crime classifications)1  Offence CategoryNumberViolence against the person13Sexual offences12Robbery2Theft Offences2Drug offences12Possession of weapons1Public order offences4Miscellaneous crimes against society8Fraud offences3Total57Source: MOJ Police National Computer (1) See 'Presentational changes to National Statistics on police recorded crime in England and Wales'. Office for National Statistics Methodology Note, 18 July 2013: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/crime-statistics-methodology/presentational-change-on-police-recorded-crime-inengland-and-wales.pdf

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours were spent in cells on average each day by (a) male and (b) female prisoners for the latest period for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours were spent in cells on average on Saturdays and Sundays by (a) male and (b) female prisoners for the latest period for which information is available.

Andrew Selous: Up until the end of 2011-12 information was collected on the average hours per weekday that prisoners were unlocked. By subtracting the average hours unlocked from the 24 hours in a day it is possible to estimate hours spent locked in cell. For 2011-12, across male establishments the estimated average time in cell was 14.5 hours per weekday; in the female estate the estimated average was 13.6 hours per prisoner per week day. Figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. It should be noted that time in cell includes hours when prisoners are asleep. Time unlocked includes time where a prisoner is either out of their cell or where the cell door is unlocked allowing them to move freely in and out of the cell. Time unlocked was discontinued as a performance indicator for prisons at the end of 2011-12 because it was not used in the day-to-day management of prisons . Figures for weekends and for subsequent periods could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Indicators introduced into prison SLAs in respect of rehabilitation, resettlement and work in prisons provide a better demonstration of efforts to prepare prisoners for release and reduce reoffending. Too many prisoners have been passing their time in a state of idleness, and that is why under our reforms to the Incentives and Earned Privileges national policy framework, which came into effect in adult prisons on 1 November 2013, prisoners are now expected to engage in purposeful activity, as well as demonstrate a commitment towards their rehabilitation, reduce their risk of reoffending, behave well and help others if they are to earn privileges. Work in prisons is a key priority to ensure prisoners are engaged in real work whilst they are in custody. It also gives them the opportunity to learn skills and a work ethic which can increase their chances of finding employment on release, a key element to reducing reoffending. The number of prisoners working in industrial activity reported by public sector prisons increased from around 8,600 in 2010-11 (the first year for which figures are available) to around 9,900 in 2013-14. This delivered an increase in the total hours worked in industrial activities from 10.6 million hours to 14.2 million hours, as published in the National Offender Management Service Annual Report 2013-14: Management Information Addendum: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201314.

Prisoner Escapes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners escaped from custody whilst on special purpose licence in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Selous: An answer to this question cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Offences against Children

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) age and (b) sex of the (i) offender and (ii) victim was in each case where an offender was given a caution for the offence of sexual activity with a child under 13 in the last five years.

Mike Penning: This Government has taken action to end the cautions culture and to make sure serious offenders do not receive penalties seen as soft options. The use of cautions is at its lowest point for thirty years.We are changing the law to ban simple cautions for all of the indictable only offences - the most serious criminal offences which must be tried in the Crown Court, including rape, manslaughter and robbery. We are also banning simple cautions for possession of a knife or offensive weapon, supplying Class A drugs and a range of sexual offences against children.Further, we have also outlined a new approach to scrap all cautions, which is being piloted in Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and Leicestershire, with a view to being extended across the country.The Ministry of Justice issues guidance on the process to be followed by the police when they are administering simple cautions for adult offenders. The latest guidance, issued in November 2013 following the Simple Cautions Review, states that the use of a simple caution for indictable-only offences, such as rape, should only be given following authorisation by a senior police officer of at least the rank of Superintendent and the Crown Prosecution Service. These will be cases where there are exceptional circumstances which would mean that it is not in the public interest to prosecute.Data for those offenders cautioned for sexual activity with a child under 13, in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013, is available in the public domain as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics annual publication, in the table ‘CJS outcomes by offence, 2009 to 2013.’ This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013 Under the list of offences please select “21 Sexual activity with child under 13”. The age of the victims cannot be separately identified without contacting each individual police force area involved, which would be at disproportionate cost.

Sentencing: Video Conferencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been sentenced via video link in each of the last three years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria are used to assess whether a case is suitable for a prison video link.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on dealing with different (a) types of offences, (b) types of hearings and (c) individuals via prison video links.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with (a) judges and (b) the legal profession over the use of prison video links.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Prison to Court Video Links (PCVL) allow offenders to appear in court via a live video link from a room in the prison. Relevant data has been collected from June 2012 following the introduction of the Government’s Transforming Justice agenda and shows that the number of defendants heard via PCVL were 32,633 from June to December 2012; 53,487 in 2013 and 59,635 so far this year. The data only records the number of instances in which PCVL was used and does not record the hearing type. Consequently specific data about the number of sentencing hearings that are held using PCVL is not available. The Secretary of State and ministers meet regularly with the senior judiciary to discuss matters relating to the effective operation of the justice system including the use of video. The use of video in court – which includes prison to court video links - is also outlined in the Criminal Procedure Rules. These are drafted by the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, which is chaired by the judiciary and involves practitioners. To ensure a clear and shared understanding across the CJS of the policy and criteria around video links, national guidance for Magistrates and Crown Courts on Prison to Court Video Links has been produced. (This is attached as an Annex). The criteria that will be used in a case to assess whether it is suitable will include, amongst other things, whether it is an eligible hearing type, public protection and risk issues and the welfare of the defendant.S57B (6) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 sets out a presumption that in preliminary hearings for adults, magistrates will utilise video links. However reasons can be given for not doing so. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 extended use of prison-court live links to sentencing hearings and appeals.

Drugs: Sentencing

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received a (a) custodial sentence, (b) community penalty, (c) financial penalty and (d) other disposal for offences related to class (i) A, (ii) B and (iii) C drugs in the most recent year for which figure are available.

Mike Penning: Sentences are getting more severe and crime is falling. Since 2010, offenders are more likely to go to prison, and for longer. The number of offenders found guilty and sentenced at all courts, with outcomes, and the number of other disposals issued, for possession of class A, class B and class C drugs, in England and Wales for 2013 (the latest data available), can be viewed on the Ministry of Justice website at the available link:- https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311455/cjs-outcomes-by-offence-2009-2013.xls Under Offence drop down list select: 1) Possession of a controlled drug class A2) Possession of a controlled drug class B3) Possession of a controlled drug class C

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national prisoners from each country were convicted of each offence type in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Selous: The numbers of foreign national prisoners from each country and the type of offence committed are in the table attached. Data has been provided as at 30 September for 2014, as this is the latest published data point. Whereas this Government has begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.



Immediate custodial sentence unrecorded and FNO
(Excel SpreadSheet, 58.5 KB)

Non-departmental public bodies

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that quangos comply with freedom of information legislation.

Simon Hughes: Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, or arms length bodies as they are now known, are typically covered by freedom of information legislation, and the Government expects them to take their obligations seriously. Complaints about any public authority’s compliance will be investigated by the Information Commissioner who can issue binding decision notices requiring steps to be taken to achieve compliance.

Criminal Proceedings: Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2014 to Question 211583, who the advisers to the review of veterans in the criminal justice system are.

Mike Penning: The advisors to the review, appointed by Rory Stewart MP were: the Rt. Hon. Lord Judge, the former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales; Lord Ramsbotham GCB CBE, formerly HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales; Sir John Nutting Bt. QC, who was commissioned by the Howard League for Penal Re-form to conduct its enquiry into former armed service personnel in the prison population; Dr Hugh Milroy OBE, the Chief Executive of Veterans Aid (who also advised Sir John Nutting in relation to his enquiry); and Major General Michael Laurie CBE, a member of Lord Ashcroft’s Veterans Transition Review Team. Stephen Phillips has submitted his completed review to the Secretary of State and it will be published shortly.

Courts: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officials in his Department are assigned to the court reform programme.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Detailed planning is currently being undertaken to ensure that the Reform programme is effectively resourced to enable the programme to deliver its objectives, ahead of programme initiation in spring 2015.

Courts: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2014 to Question 209524, on courts: buildings, what his Department plans to spend on the package of investment in each of the last five years from 2015-16.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Detailed planning is currently being undertaken on how the Treasury funds will be deployed for investment across the courts and tribunals estate, technology and other areas in each of the five years from 2015-16.

Courts: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2014 to Question 209520, how many representations he has received on the court reform programme.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Officials have been engaging with a range of partners and stakeholders throughout the course of the Programme to develop proposals for the HMCTS Reform programme. This has included regular meetings with other government departments and the senior judiciary.

Courts: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2014 to Question 207412, if he will place in the Library the plans, blueprints and all associated documents relating to the purchase of land and the construction of a new court for Sunderland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Any work undertaken by the appointed concept designer for architectural design services under the previous government would not necessarily be representative of any future court estate development and as a consequence I do not propose to place those plans in the Library of the House. Publically available information about the purchase of the land is available from the Land Registry.

Licensing Laws

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions under legislation prohibiting alcohol sales to intoxicated persons there have been in each year since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for offences related to the sale of alcohol to an intoxicated person in England and Wales, 2009 to 2013, can be viewed in the table below: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences related to selling alcohol to an intoxicated person (1), England and Wales, 2009 to 2013 (2)(3) 20092010201120122013 83121810  (1) An offence under S141 of the Licensing Act 2003 (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to publish the Macur Report before May 2015.

Simon Hughes: I answered a similar question on 20 November from the hon. Member for Wrexham and the position has not changed. Lady Justice Macur’s Review is entirely independent of Government and its timetable is a matter for her. She is on record as saying that her Review would be thorough and that she would not draw any conclusions until she had considered all the evidence. I am, however, confident that good progress has been made and the Review is nearing its completion. The Government looks forward to receiving Lady Justice Macur’s Report next year.

Youth Offending Teams

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by what date officials carrying out the youth offending team stock take, announced by the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation on 17 November 2014, are to report.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the job titles are of the officials from his Department who will be responsible for carrying out the fieldwork for the youth offending team stock take, announced by the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation on 17 November 2014.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data will be recorded in the youth offending team stock take, announced by the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation on 17 November 2014, aside from the data currently provided quarterly to the Youth Justice Board.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria will be used to decide which youth offending teams will be assessed as part of the youth offending team stock take, announced by the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation on 17 November 2014.

Andrew Selous: Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) play a key part in the youth justice system and the Government recognises their valuable contribution to the recent successes of the system. We want to improve our understanding of how YOTs are operating and how they have evolved in light of the changing circumstances surrounding the delivery of local youth justice services. We are working closely with the Youth Justice Board to finalise the details of this stocktake, which will establish a clearer picture of how the YOT model is operating nationwide.

Ministry of Defence

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions UK forces have used a US Air Force Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System in Afghanistan in each year; and whether each such use was due to serviceability issues with RAF Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 08 September 2014



The Rt Hon Mark Francois:  The number of sorties in which RAF crews have utilised a USAF Reaper to undertake a UK Sortie in Afghanistan for each year between 2008 and 2014 is given in the following table. YearNumber of United Kingdom Sorties utilising a USAF Air Vehicle200822009212010420116420121802013562014-January to August Inclusive192  For the majority of occasions this was due to short term unserviceability or routine scheduled servicing of a UK Reaper. The increased usage in 2012 was due to an increase in ISAF tasking, coinciding with a period of reduced UK airframe availability. This resulted in reduced resilience to cover short-term unserviceabilities from within the UK Reaper force. The increased usage in 2014 was due to further increased ISAF tasking utilising the crews from the UK Additional Reaper Capability. The additional UK aircrews and ISAF requirement to start the new task lines were in place prior to the additional UK airframes being prepared for operations in theatre. Consequently, while the new UK airframes were temporarily unavailable for tasking, the additional ISAF task lines with UK crews were flown utilising USAF aircraft.

Kurds

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the military resources which have been provided to Kurdish forces by the UK in the last three years.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 21 October 2014



Since August 2014 the UK has gifted urgent lethal military support to the Peshmerga in the form of heavy machine guns and ammunition to Kurdish forces at the request of the Iraqi Government in Baghdad.Non-lethal items such as Halal rations, sleeping bags, body armour and helmets have also been supplied. In addition, we have assisted with the delivery of munitions and equipment on behalf of other Coalition members.

Veterans: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2014 to Question 207562, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that ex-service personnel in receipt of disablement pensions with conditions related to mental disorders receive adequate treatment for their condition.

Anna Soubry: Primary responsibility for the mental health care of veterans lies with the National Health Service (NHS) in England and the Devolved Administrations. The NHS provides appropriate healthcare for veterans, regardless of whether or not they are in receipt of a disablement pension.

Bahrain

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent meetings he has had with Bahraini human rights advocates.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hebrides

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what reports he has received of a sonic boom over the outer-Hebrides on 29 October 2014; and what assessment he has made of the likely cause.

Mr Mark Francois: The Department has received no reports of a sonic boom over the Outer-Hebrides on the 29 October 2014. Two RAF Typhoon aircraft were present in the Hebrides area at the time, one went supersonic for operational reasons, but it is not possible to confirm if a sonic boom resulted. Aircraft do not automatically create an audible sonic boom when flying supersonic as it depends on a variety of atmospheric and ground conditions.

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent representations he has received from the Afghan government on the use of the Royal Air Force to provide close air support for the Afghan National Security forces.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Appointments

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will bring forward the timescale for the revision of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Michael Fallon: The Government is committed to revising the Strategic Defence and Security Strategy in 2015.

Armed Forces Covenant: Northern Ireland

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the commitments in the Armed Forces Covenant have been implemented in Northern Ireland to date.

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the debate on the Military Covenant in Northern Ireland on 22 October 2014 (Official Report, columns 971-1004), during which I advised the House that practically all of the measures in the Covenant, more than 90%, now extend to Northern Ireland, or will do so soon. 



Hansard Extract 22 October 2014
(Word Document, 223.5 KB)

Offshore Industry

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements his Department has in place with (a) NATO and (b) Norway for the defence of maritime offshore installations in the North Sea.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 25 November 2014



The Ministry Of Defence provides support to the civil powers by protecting UK-owned maritime offshore installations; routine bilateral engagement takes place with those nations (including Norway and our NATO partners) which have an interest in these arrangements.

Fisheries: Protection

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which military assets are tasked with fisheries protection within the UK's exclusive economic zone.

Mr Mark Francois: The River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels HMS MERSEY, HMS TYNE and HMS SEVERN form the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron, which provides the Royal Navy's contribution to fishery protection duties within the United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone.

British Overseas Territories

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which military assets are tasked with the defence of British Overseas Territories.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 25 November 2014



All of the UK’s military assets are available for the defence of the British Overseas Territories, subject to availability and operational requirements. The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of potential military threats to all overseas territories to ensure that we retain an appropriate level of defensive capability to address any such threats. As at 5 November 2014, in the attached the following military assets were present in the Overseas Territories and tasked with the defence of the Territory in question.   



Military Assets present in Overseas Territories
(Word Document, 27.5 KB)




211278 - Q n A Extract on Overseas Territories
(Word Document, 27 KB)

Libya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the role of training Libyan soldiers in the UK as part of the UK strategy to help Libya improve its long-term security and defence capacity.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to assess the effectiveness of the training programme in place for Libyan soldiers in the UK.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons it was decided that the UK should train Libyan soldiers in the UK rather than Libya.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Argentina

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Swedish government about the possible sale of Gripen fighters to Argentina.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Libyan armed forces personnel have been (a) arrested and (b) charged with any crimes during their time training at Camp Bassingbourn; and what crime was involved in each case.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Libyan soldiers training in the UK have withdrawn from the training programme voluntarily; and how soon after withdrawing from the programme each such soldier returned to Libya.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons UK-based training for Libyan soldiers has been cancelled for all participants.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Libyan soldiers previously in receipt of UK military training at Bassingbourn have been withdrawn; and how many such people are (a) facing criminal charges and (b) have received convictions (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) criminal convictions and (b) criminal charges are held by members of the Libyan armed forces receiving training in the UK.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Syria

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress the surveillance mission in Syria has made; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 19 November 2014



UK Armed Forces continue to make a significant contribution to the international effort to counter ISIL. UK air assets remain active, conducting surveillance in Syria and surveillance and strike missions in Iraq. Through the action we have already taken, we are helping to halt and reverse ISIL's advances.

Armed Forces: Young People

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his letter to the Defence Committee of 1 August 2014, whether the cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment of minors was based on (a) the final analysis or (b) the draft cost-benefit analysis; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Young People

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the letter of 1 August 2014 to the Defence Committee, whether his Department's cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment of minors has been finalised; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

War Widows: Pensions

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's announcement of 8 November 2014, on pensions of surviving spouses and civil partners of personnel, whether the widows of military personnel killed on duty who have previously lost their military pensions as a result of cohabiting will have such pensions restored if they cease cohabiting; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's announcement of 8 November 2014, on pensions of surviving spouses and civil partners of personnel, whether war  widows who have had their military pensions restored on ceasing to cohabit will retain their restored pensions if they then begin cohabiting (a) with a new partner and (b) with a previous partner; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: From 1 April 2015 the spouse or civil partner of all members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 75 and any War Pension Scheme widow will retain their pension for life if they have not already surrendered it due to remarriage or cohabitation.From 1 April 2015 those who have already surrendered their pension due to remarriage or cohabitation can apply to have their pension restored for life, should the relationship end or they cease cohabiting.

Portsmouth Dockyard

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many expressions of interest in Portsmouth Shipyard have been received.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any company which expressed interest in Portsmouth Shipyard has ship-building capability.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a preferred business which has shown interest in Shipyard Portsmouth following the closure of the period for expressions of interest in acquiring ownership of the shipyard.

Anna Soubry: Eight Formal Expressions of interest in the Portsmouth Shipyard were received by the 30 June closing date of which three have been shortlisted.Details of the specific companies are being withheld as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests

Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Programme

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent in the (a) assessment phase and (b) demonstration and manufacture phase of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Tanker project.

Mr Philip Dunne: As published in the Major Projects Report (MPR) 2013, published by the NAO on 13 February 2014 (HC 817-1), total expenditure on the Assessment Phase for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme was £17 million. Expenditure on the programme's Demonstration and Manufacture Phases to 31 March 2013 was £63 million.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 February 2012, on Armed Forces MARS Tankers, by the then Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Official Report, columns 77-9WS, and pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2014 to Question 213893, what the reason is for the difference in the projected cost.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the member for Hayes and Harlington (Mr McDonnell) on 7 January 2013 (Official Record Column 49W refers)



20130107 - Hansard extract on Tankers
(Word Document, 24.5 KB)

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost as the reasons for any variation in the value of contracts are not recorded centrally.

Veterans: Military Decorations

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time is that veterans of the Normandy landings are waiting for their application to receive the Legion d'Honneur to be processed.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full time equivalent officials are working on the delivery of the  Legion d'Honneur to veterans of the Normandy campaign.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with veterans' organisations about the distribution of the Legion d'Honneur to veterans of the Normandy campaign.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which month his Department first discussed with veterans' organisations the distribution of the Legion d'Honneur to veterans of the Normandy campaign.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans of the Normandy landings have applied to his Department to receive the Legion d'Honneur.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to work with the French government on the provision of the Legion d'Honneur for veterans of the Normandy landings.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many awards of the Legion d'Honneur have been made to veterans of the Normandy campaign in each month since June 2014.

Anna Soubry: The original request from the French Government for the names of D-Day veterans to whom they could award the Legion d'Honneur was made before this year's 70th anniversary celebrations. Shortly following those celebrations, the French Government announced their intention to award the medal to all of those involved in the liberation of France. To date, approximately 2,800 applications have been received from Veterans. The MOD Medal Office has two full time officials working on the processing of applications. It is expected that the great majority of applications will have been processed by the end of 2014.Once processed, the applications are being sent in batches to the French authorities who take the final decision regarding the award, for which reason we have no record of who has received it. We have kept the French authorities fully informed of the issues raised by the volume of applications, and are liaising closely with them on the process of arranging presentations.As the application is essentially a matter for individual veterans, no organised discussion has taken place with veterans' organisations, except where an organisation has forwarded applications on behalf of its members. We hope to involve organisations in arranging presentations of the award to their members, when we are in a position to make such arrangements. All presentations made so far have been from the list provided to the French Government prior to the D-Day 70th anniversary. Since June the French Embassy has held two presentation events, on 14 July and 11 November. The invitations to these events were a matter for the French authorities.

Armed Forces: Housing

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many housing adaptations his Department has carried out for wounded service personnel in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trident

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to monitor the safety and performance of the UK's nuclear deterrent and weapons programme.

Michael Fallon: Holding answer received on 25 November 2014



Safety is monitored and regulated by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator, the Defence Maritime Regulator and by civil regulators. Deterrent performance is assured by the Chief Strategic Systems Executive. The Defence Nuclear Safety Committee provides overarching assurance to the Secretary of State on the adequacy of these arrangements.

Military Bases: Hebrides

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which other (a) NATO and (b) non-NATO nations are investing in defence assets in the Hebrides.

Mr Philip Dunne: International funding to broaden the capability of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Hebrides Range has been agreed, but I am withholding further details as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the UK and another State. Separate work to upgrade the Remote Radar Head at Benbecula (North Uist) is being funded entirely by the MOD with no investment from other NATO or non-NATO nations.

Kuwait

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list all meetings between Ministers in his Department and representatives of Kuwaiti defence companies in each of the last four years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Details of Ministerial Meetings with External Organisations are routinely published as part of our Quarterly Transparency Return and can be obtained via our official report:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetingsThe data from May 2010 to 31 March 2014 is published there. That from 1 April 2014 will be published in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of nationals of each EU country who are in the UK and claiming benefits.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available as nationality and immigration status of claimants is not currently recorded on benefit payment systems. However the Department has published some general statistics on working age benefit recipients claiming within 6 months of National Insurance Number (NINO) registration. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the “Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals Entering the UK – registrations to June 2014”, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-insurance-number-allocations-to-adult-overseas-nationals-entering-the-uk-to-june-2014   The Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under Universal Credit so that it will systematically record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.

Income Support: Dundee

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Dundee East constituency have had income support capped since the introduction of the benefit cap.

Esther McVey: The number of households subject to the benefit cap by Parliamentary Constituency is published on gov.uk each quarter. The latest data, showing the total number of households capped from 15 April 2013, when the benefit cap was introduced, to August 2014, can be found in Table 1 of the data tables published here:   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014   The benefit cap applies to the combined income from a number of benefits, including Income Support.   • the main out-of-work benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, and Employment and Support Allowance except when the Support Component is in payment); • Housing Benefit; • Child Benefit; • Child Tax Credit; • other benefits such as Carer’s Allowance.   The cap is currently administered through Housing Benefit. This means that, if affected, it is only a household’s Housing Benefit entitlement that is reduced so that the total amount of benefit received is no longer higher than the cap level.

Income Support: Western Isles

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency have had income support capped since the introduction of the benefit cap.

Esther McVey: The number of households subject to the benefit cap by Parliamentary Constituency is published on gov.uk each quarter. The latest data, showing the total number of households capped from 15 April 2013, when the benefit cap was introduced, to August 2014, can be found in Table 1 of the data tables published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014 The benefit cap applies to the combined income from a number of benefits, including Income Support. • the main out-of-work benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, and Employment and Support Allowance except when the Support Component is in payment);• Housing Benefit;• Child Benefit;• Child Tax Credit;• other benefits such as Carer’s Allowance. The cap is currently administered through Housing Benefit. This means that, if affected, it is only a household’s Housing Benefit entitlement that is reduced so that the total amount of benefit received is no longer higher than the cap level.

Income Support: Moray

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Moray constituency have had income support capped since the introduction of the benefit cap.

Esther McVey: The number of households subject to the benefit cap by Parliamentary Constituency is published on gov.uk each quarter. The latest data, showing the total number of households capped from 15 April 2013, when the benefit cap was introduced, to August 2014, can be found in Table 1 of the data tables published here:   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014   The benefit cap applies to the combined income from a number of benefits, including Income Support.   • the main out-of-work benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, and Employment and Support Allowance except when the Support Component is in payment); • Housing Benefit; • Child Benefit; • Child Tax Credit; • other benefits such as Carer’s Allowance.   The cap is currently administered through Housing Benefit. This means that, if affected, it is only a household’s Housing Benefit entitlement that is reduced so that the total amount of benefit received is no longer higher than the cap level.

Income Support: Perth

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Perth and North Perthshire constituency have had income support capped since the introduction of the benefit cap.

Esther McVey: The number of households subject to the benefit cap by Parliamentary Constituency is published on gov.uk each quarter. The latest data, showing the total number of households capped from 15 April 2013, when the benefit cap was introduced, to August 2014, can be found in Table 1 of the data tables published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014The benefit cap applies to the combined income from a number of benefits, including Income Support.• the main out-of-work benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, and Employment and Support Allowance except when the Support Component is in payment);• Housing Benefit;• Child Benefit;• Child Tax Credit;• other benefits such as Carer’s Allowance.The cap is currently administered through Housing Benefit. This means that, if affected, it is only a household’s Housing Benefit entitlement that is reduced so that the total amount of benefit received is no longer higher than the cap level.

Income Support: Banff

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Banff and Buchan constituency have had income support capped since the introduction of the benefit cap.

Esther McVey: The number of households subject to the benefit cap by Parliamentary Constituency is published on gov.uk each quarter. The latest data, showing the total number of households capped from 15 April 2013, when the benefit cap was introduced, to August 2014, can be found in Table 1 of the data tables published here:   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014   The benefit cap applies to the combined income from a number of benefits, including Income Support.   • the main out-of-work benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, and Employment and Support Allowance except when the Support Component is in payment); • Housing Benefit; • Child Benefit; • Child Tax Credit; • other benefits such as Carer’s Allowance.   The cap is currently administered through Housing Benefit. This means that, if affected, it is only a household’s Housing Benefit entitlement that is reduced so that the total amount of benefit received is no longer higher than the cap level.

Employment and Support Allowance: Scotland

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants in Scotland since October 2008 were placed in the work-related activity group that had a diagnosis of (a) multiple sclerosis, (b) Parkinson's disease, (c) rheumatoid arthritis, (d) motor neurone disease and (e) cystic fibrosis.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested is shown in the table below. Work Related Activity Group outcomes of initial and repeat Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) functional assessments and Incapacity Benefits Reassessments (IBR) by main disabling condition in Scotland, October 2008 – December 2013  Initial ClaimRepeat ClaimIBR ClaimMultiple Sclerosis300200300Parkinson’s Disease100--Rheumatoid Arthritis400400600Spinal Muscular Atrophy---Cystic Fibrosis---  Source: Data in the tables above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. Notes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. “-“denotes nil or under 50.2. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker’s decision is not yet available.3. Motor neurone disease is shown in the table as 'Spinal muscular atrophy'.4. Disabling condition groups are based on the International Classification of Diseases (2010). Medical condition is based on evidence provided at the start of the claim; this in itself does not confer entitlement to ESA and may not represent a claimant’s most recent medical condition.5. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead.

Post Office Card Account

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reach a decision on the future of the Post Office card account after the current contract ends in March 2015.

Steve Webb: Discussions continue between Her Majesty’s Government and Post Office LTD to consider the needs of our customers beyond March 2015, announcements will be made when these discussions reach a conclusion.

Access to Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of disabled people who have received assistance under the Access to Work scheme in between receiving a job offer and starting work.

Mr Mark Harper: The requested information is not available.

Cuadrilla Resources

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what instances there have been of well integrity failure at onshore oil and gas drill sites operated by Cuadrilla Resources in the UK since 2011; what the nature of such instances were; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: There have been no statutory reports to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of an unplanned release of fluids, or of an incident that could have led to an unplanned release of fluids, in relation to oil and gas wells operated by Cuadrilla Resources in the UK since 2011.

Work Programme: Older People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the performance of the Work Programme for jobseekers aged over 50.

Esther McVey: The Work Programme is continuing to offer tailored support to those people over 50 at risk of becoming long-term unemployed and providers are continuing to design support based on each individual need. We are committed to ensuring the Work Programme performs at the highest level. DWP has restructured its performance management activities to ensure delivery of better outcomes. For the first time, a Government employment programme is harnessing the disciplines of the market place so that only those providers who succeed are retained to help claimants into work.

Work Programme: East of England

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) were eligible for and (b) participated in the Work Programme in each parliamentary constituency in the East of England in each month since October 2012.

Esther McVey: In response to the first part of the question, statistics on the number of people who were eligible for the Work Programme are not available. Information on those referred to the Work Programme, by parliamentary constituency, is published and can be found at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html Guidance for users is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Winter Fuel Payments: British Nationals Abroad

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2014 to Question 213491, how many representations he has received on the future of the winter fuel allowance claimed by UK citizens living in mainland France on a UK state pension.

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2014 to Question 213491, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on amending the eligibility criterion derived from average winter temperatures.

Steve Webb: The Government intends to bring in an eligibility criterion derived from average winter temperatures, with payments going only to eligible people living in EEA countries with cold climates. The regulations establishing Winter Fuel Payments for 2015/16 will include the new eligibility condition. These regulations are made annually under the Social Security Contributions & Benefits Act 1992, and those for winter 2015/16 will be made in the current Parliament. Since 1 June 2014, we have received two Parliamentary Questions, twenty one items of Ministerial or official correspondence and four Freedom of Information requests relating to the future of Winter Fuel Payments in France. Following the European Court ruling in the Stewart case, Winter Fuel Payments are made to those with a “genuine and sufficient link” to the UK, rather than – as previously – being restricted to those who had previously received a Payment in the UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the amount of (a) chemicals and (b) toxic metal being sprayed into the atmosphere above the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: We are committed to improving air quality through reducing harmful emissions. We have reduced emissions to the atmosphere (including toxic metals) significantly over the last 20 years through a range of measures including implementation of European Legislation. These trends are reported in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory at: http://naei.defra.gov.uk/ and also reported in the annual report, Air Pollution in the UK at: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/ .

Air Pollution

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she made of the volumes of (a) chemicals and (b) toxic metals sprayed annually into the atmosphere above the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory compiles estimates of emissions to the atmosphere from UK sources. It is updated annually and covers a range of sources and sectors. A full list of sources included in the inventory can be found here: http://naei.defra.gov.uk/data/data-selector?view=air-pollutants.

Dogs: Sales

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department issues to members of the public about where to buy a puppy.

George Eustice: Defra provides guidance on buying a puppy which is available on the GOV.UK website. The advice includes encouraging people to read the Puppy Information Pack provided by the Animal Welfare Foundation and RSPCA and to also use the Puppy Contract to get as much information about the puppy as possible.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to make the principles of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme mandatory for anyone breeding dogs.

George Eustice: Defra fully supports the principles of the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder Scheme but considers it goes beyond the minimum standards set by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and so could not be used as the basis for regulations under the 2006 Act.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will encourage local authorities to use Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme inspectors to (a) conduct inspections on behalf of local authorities and (b) train local authority inspectors.

George Eustice: We are aware of the offer made by the Kennel Club to inspect and train local authority inspectors. Local authorities may choose to take up this offer or those made by other organisations.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reports her Department has received of cruelty to animals in the trafficking of dogs from Eastern Europe to the UK.

George Eustice: The Dogs Trust wrote to Defra Ministers on 13 November about their report The Puppy Smuggling Scandal. The report highlights that responsibility for stopping the illegal movement of puppies begins in the country where they are born. The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has written to the authorities in the countries highlighted in the report to remind them of their duty to ensure that the welfare of pets intended for sale is safeguarded. There is a robust checking regime for pets travelling into Great Britain. Every pet travelling with its owner on an approved route is checked for compliance with the pet travel regime and UK Border Force carry out a wide range of checks on vehicles arriving in the UK.

Rural Development Programme: North East

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when funding decisions for the year beginning January 2015 for the North Pennines Dales LEADER will be announced.

George Eustice: The application window for LEADER bids closed on 5 September and assessments on the submissions received are being finalised. We hope to notify all applicants of the outcome by the end of November.

White Fish: Conservation

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what account she takes when deciding on measures to reduce the mortality in bass stocks of the (a) value to the UK economy and the economies of other member states of recreational angling compared to commercial fishing, (b) mortality of bass stocks caused by recreational anglers compared to that caused by commercial fishing and (c) tax receipts from recreational angling compared to those from commercial fisheries.

George Eustice: I take full account of these factors when making such decisions. At EU level the European Commission has published proposals for interim bass management measures to apply to both commercial fishing and recreational angling sectors in 2015. When these measures are agreed in December the UK will seek a more balanced approach than proposed, which more closely reflects the relative levels of mortality on bass stocks incurred by each sector, while contributing to the aim of stock recovery on a more proportionate basis.

Flexible Working

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men have made a statutory application to request flexible working in her Department; and how many of those applications have been granted to date.

Dan Rogerson: Information on requests received and granted for flexible working in core Defra is not held centrally and could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.

Flood Control

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of the 890 flood defences damaged as result of the winter floods in 2013-14 have been repaired to date.

Dan Rogerson: Following the tidal surge on 5 December 2013 and the winter storms of 2013/14, a total of 890 flood recovery projects were identified across England. A total of 844 projects involved the repair of flood defence assets, while the remaining 46 projects involved surveys, studies or actions relating to incident response.   As of 14 November 2014, permanent repairs have been completed for 814 of the 844 defence projects and there were 30 defence repair projects with temporary repairs. All the defences with temporary repairs also have contingency measures in place, which restore the standard of protection to pre-winter 2013/14 levels.  Going in to this winter, every community that was affected by the storms and floods of last winter will have the same or better standard of protection compared to the levels of defence they had before last winter.

Cuadrilla Resources

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency has investigated any potential or actual cases of water contamination at onshore oil and gas drilling sites operated by Cuadrilla Resources since 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: Preese Hall in Lancashire has been the only shale gas exploration well operated by Cuadrilla Resources to be drilled and hydraulically fractured to date. The Environment Agency carried out regular site monitoring and inspections to ensure it was satisfied that any environmental risks were being effectively managed. There have been no reports or any evidence of water contamination at Preese Hall.   In 2013, in the vicinity of Cuadrilla’s oil exploration well site in Balcombe, West Sussex, the Environment Agency investigated a local stream that turned fluorescent green. Analysis of the water samples detected ammoniacal nitrogen, butyl citrate and caffeine, all in very low concentrations. None of these substances have been used in drilling additives by Cuadrilla. The Environment Agency concluded that the green water was likely to be caused by the introduction of a dye into the stream, but the exact source remains unknown. Cuadrilla did not store or use any type of dye at Balcombe. The Environment Agency confirmed there was no environmental impact.

Climate Change

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to respond to the International Panel on Climate Change's report entitled Climate change 2014: Impacts, adaption and vulnerability.

Dan Rogerson: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group II report makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the impacts of, and adaptation and vulnerability to, climate change. We are considering it with keen interest and will take full account of it when we publish the UK's next Climate Change Risk Assessment in 2017, which in turn will inform the next National Adaptation Programme report.

Home Office

Offences against Children

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the report of the Government's inquiry into historic child abuse will be shared with her Department before it is published.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 05 November 2014



The report of the Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will be shared with the Home Office before it is published.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of applicants from Malawi for UK visas for whom a UK sponsor will pay who have been rejected because they cannot prove they have enough funds to visit the UK in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The data requested is not held by the Home Office. However, the majority of Malawian visa applications (86%) are successful.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average length of time taken between first application for and being granted a UK visa for applications from Malawi in each month since June 2010.

James Brokenshire: UKVI customer service standards are to assess all visitor applications within 15 working days and all settlement applications within 60 working days, and the UKVI operation in Pretoria continues to meet these customer service standards, including for Malawian applications.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of how much money her Department received from (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful visa applications from Malawi in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not retain this data. However, it is important to note that visa fees are non-refundable after a customer has submitted the application and provided biometric details, as at this point we have commenced assessment of the application. Currently, 86% of applications submitted in Malawi are successful.

Entry Clearances: Africa

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the money saved by her Department by the move to regional hubs in Africa to process UK visa applications.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has pursued this consolidation programme in order to improve the quality of its operations, as well as to realise savings for the taxpayer. Globally, savings have been realised, for example, in areas such asreduced estates costs, more streamlined support services, and lower staff numbers. It is not possible to disaggregate the Home Office savings associated with consolidation in one post or one region.

Asylum

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost was of legal representation in asylum claims in each of the last five years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost of asylum application appeals was in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: It is not possible to answer the questions without incurring disproportionate costs as the data relating to litigation expenditure is not held in a format that allows us to answer the question.

Asylum

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of asylum application decisions were overturned on appeal in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The table below shows the number of asylum appeal applications and determinations in each of the last five years.Asylum appeal applications and determinations, 2009 to 2013 (1)(2)(3)   YearAppeals receivedTotal appeals determinedAppeals allowed% appeals allowedAppeals dismissedAppeals withdrawn 200914,34012,8133,71229%8,627474 201013,92814,7234,02927%10,061633 20119,98610,5972,77926%7,139679 20128,1978,2852,20827%5,472605 20138,5198,3252,07825%5,681566 (1) Figures for 2013 are provisional. (2) HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) (formerly the Tribunals Service Immigration and Asylum (TSIA)), consists of the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FTTIAC and UTIAC). This replaced the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) on 15 February 2010. All figures for appeals determined are cases dealt with by Immigration Judges at the AIT or FTTIAC. (3) Withdrawn figures include cases withdrawn by the Home Office, as well as those withdrawn by the appellant. These figures are regularly published in the quarterly and annual statistics on asylum appeal applications and determinations, within Immigration Statistics: April – June 2014, published by the Home Office on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

Asylum: Syria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had on UNHCR's request for more resettlement places for Syrian Refugees in 2015-16; if she will make it her policy to expand the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme ahead of UNHCR's global pledging conference in December 2014; and whether she or another Minister will attend that conference.

James Brokenshire: With over 3.2 million Syrian refugees now in Syria’s neighbouring countries, the Government believes that humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflict are the most effective ways for the UK to help the majority of those displaced, rather than large scale resettlement. We have made our position on this clear in relevant discussions with international partners and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We are aware that states have responded to the crisis in different ways; it is right that the international community should consider all available means to relieve the suffering of Syrians displaced by the conflict. To complement our humanitarian aid, we operate the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme to relocate the most vulnerable displaced Syrians who cannot be supported effectively long term in the region to the UK. The scheme is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota; however, we expect it to help several hundred people over three years. This is in addition to our consideration of asylum claims lodged in the UK under our normal rules. However, we strongly believe that we should continue to focus on aid rather than resettlement as the best way for the UK to maximise our impact, and we therefore have no current plans to expand the scheme.I am pleased to confirm that Karen Pierce, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, UK Mission to the UN and Other International Organisations, Geneva will represent the UK at the UNHCR Global Resettlement Pledging Conference on 9 December 2014.

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women have been detained at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre for (a) 0 to six months, (b) six to 12 months, (c) over one year and (d) two years or more.

James Brokenshire: The requested information is not available. A subset of the latest published figures show that as at 30 June 2014 there were 294 female people detained in Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre who had been held in the immigration estate for less than 6 months, 9 for between 6 and 12 months and none for longer.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within Immigration Statistics: April – June 2014, from the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Detention Centres

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many spaces are required in the immigration detention estate.

James Brokenshire: It has been estimated that an estate of around 5,000 beds will support the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK. This figure is subject to reviews of demand, affordability and value for money.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of how many online applications for UK visas from Malawi have been started but remain uncompleted since December 2013.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold the data requested.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints her Department has received about the system for online applications for UK visas from Malawi in each month since December 2013.

James Brokenshire: The UKVI operation in Pretoria maintains a complaints register and can confirm that no customers have contacted officials in Pretoria directly from Malawi to complain about the online application process.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of Malawians visiting the UK with a visa and at the invitation of a UK-based organisation who have (a) absconded and (b) engaged in criminal activity while in the UK in each month since June 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold the data requested in the format required. To obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of documents being lost, damaged or misplaced during the process of applying for a UK visa from Malawi there were in each month since June 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold the data requested.

Entry Clearances: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an applicant's financial status is a consideration in the process of applying for a UK visa from Malawi; and whether such applicants are required to submit (a) bank statements and (b) pay slips.

James Brokenshire: All visa applications from anywhere in the world are considered on their individual merits in line with the immigration rules. Applicants should provide evidence to show that they meet the rules, and that their circumstances are as they outline. Those intending to visit the UK should provide evidence to show that they can be adequately accommodated and supported during their stay, and that they can meet the cost of their onward journey. We do not mandate documentary requirements, however guidance for applicants on supporting documents is available online.

Offences against Children: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2014 to Question 213787, on offences against children: databases, for what reasons the Childbase database was closed in 2011; and whether that database was closed before a replacement database had been established.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 20 November 2014



The Childbase database was closed in 2011 because it was judged by the former Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre to be inefficient and not viable for upgrading. Following an information assurance process and before its closure, all of the intelligence held in Childbase was transferred into a new internal database.

Sprakab

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the quality of service provided to her Department by Sprakab in decision-making on asylum claims; and whether she plans to review claims dealt with by that company.

James Brokenshire: As part of the contract competition undertaken in 2014, Sprakab and Verified provided strong evidence of the quality of the services offered. There are dedicated formal arrangements in place to monitor our suppliers’ compliance with the contract terms. Sprakab also has its own internal quality checks, and – through the Swedish Migration Board – a sample of its tests are externally checked by the Immigration and Naturalisation Services (IND) of the Netherlands. The quality of assessments made by Sprakab, have been thoroughly scrutinised by the Courts on a number of occasions. Where any criticisms have been made about methodology, changes have been made to address them. Most recently, in 2014, the Supreme Court agreed that Sprakab’s analyses were admissible in evidence, and for the conclusions they expressed to be given weight according to the reasoning and expertise used to support them.

Sprakab

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the value was of contracts awarded by her Department to Sprakab in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The present contract awarded to Sprakab earlier this year is on a non-volume guarantee basis, and has no set value. The previous contractual arrangement for the provision of language analysis services with Sprakab commenced in 2007 and also had no set value. In both contracts, testing with Sprakab was conducted on a flexible, case by case basis, and charges were accrued accordingly.

Asylum: Syria

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have settled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Scheme to date.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of refugees that have been resettled in the UK within Immigration Statistics Release. The data on nationals of Syria that have been resettled under the VPR scheme are available in the Immigration Statistics: April – June 2014, table as.19 from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.This showed that there were 50 people resettled during this period. Updated numbers for the period July- September 2014 will be published on 27 November.

Asylum: West Midlands

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of G4S Care and Justice Service Ltd's compliance with housing standards for asylum seekers across the West Midlands.

James Brokenshire: Housing supplied by Home Office accommodation providers must meet the contractual standards for safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation to comply with relevant mandatory and statutory requirements in relation to housing and this includes the Housing Act 2004. The contract contains specific requirements in relation to safe accommodation and relates the performance standard to the Housing Act.The Home Office has robust mechanisms in place to monitor standards. This includes routine inspections of G4S properties and responding to specific concerns raised about accommodation standards. Where accommodation does not meet the required standards, the Home Office can apply service credits by way of a deduction from the provider’s invoice. The amount of money recovered in this way is determined by measuring performance against a series of Key Performance Indicators set out in the contract but could be up to 15% of the provider’s monthly invoice.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by her Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Karen Bradley: Contingent labour contracts are awarded against tendered fixed day rates. Consultancy contracts are awarded either at fixed day rates by consultant grade or by maximum or capped prices for delivery of a package of work and are not normally subject to change. Such contracts may be extended or varied by means of contract change variations from time to time where contract terms allow and a business need exists which would result in a change to the overall value of the contracted services as a consequence of that change.To provide information on every contract awarded since May 2010 would incur disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last met the Refugee Council to discuss the number of Syrian refugees that have been settled in the UK.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees from Syria have been settled in the UK in each of the last 24 months; and if she will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will represent the UK in the UN High Commissioner for Refugees meeting on resettling Syria's refugees in December 2014.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 21 November 2014



Officials have regularly met representatives of the Refugee Council to discuss the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme. The last meeting was held on 25 September and was also attended by partners from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). I am pleased to confirm that Karen Pierce, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, UK Mission to the UN and Other International Organisations, Geneva will represent the UK at the UNHCR Global Resettlement Pledging Conference on 9 December 2014.You have asked for details on how many refugees from Syria have been settled in the UK over the last 24 months. These figures are broken down by month in the table below.Syrian nationals granted asylum, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave1   Grants of asylumGrants of Humanitarian ProtectionGrants of Discretionary LeaveOther forms of grantTotal grants2012 July7111073August100000100September1111000121October1311600147November131100132December90500952013  January167200169February135000135March134110136April102010103May125200127June112010113July115100116August106000106September132000132October168100169November102000102December46100472014  January7910080February6600066March6400064April107100108May108001109June9040094  1. Figures include dependants

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications have been received from asylum seekers temporarily resident in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many such applications have been successful.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 21 November 2014



Your question has been interpreted as requesting information on the number of people, resident in Northern Ireland in the last five years, who have claimed and subsequently been granted asylum. We are unable to identify those living in Northern Ireland prior to raising a claim for asylum. Therefore, the figures provided are based on main claimants who Home Office records indicate currently have a primary address recorded as in Northern Ireland. YearNumber of claimsNumber granted200913726201015739201120870201225084201322464   To Note: Grants may relate to claims made in previous years.The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women held in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre were on constant observation to prevent self-harm in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) is the system used for monitoring people considered to be at risk of self harm and operates within the broader context of decency, safety, and the concept of a healthy centre. The table below provides the number of women in Yarl’s Wood who were placed on constant observation to prevent self harm for the financial years 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 1 April to 30 June 2014. The information is based on management information only and has not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. These figures are provisional and are subject to change.Financial Year 2012/2013 2013/2014 1 April – 30 June 2014Number of women on constant observations to prevent self harm168 164 36Data on the numbers of women placed on constant observation to prevent self harm prior to 2012 is not recorded electronically and cannot be provided without examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.Provisionally 2,464 women entered detention at Yarl’s Wood IRC in 2012/2013, 2,004 in 2013/2014 and 481 between 1 April and 30 June 2014. Source Immigration Statistics:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release This figure does not include women who transferred from other parts of the detention estate or returned to the estate from prisons. It may include women who have been detained on more than one separate occasion in the time period shown, such as a person who has left detention, but has subsequently been re-detained.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 5 post-study work visas were issued in-country in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011, (iv) 2012 and (v) 2013.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is given in the table below:   Total extensions of stay in the UK by Points Based System work categories, Main applicants   Category20092010201120122013 Tier 1 Total65,90054,30666,40357,32724,879 of whom were previously students....44,24635,4761,595 of which:  Tier 1 - Post Study34,18133,97343,71935,245572 of whom were previously students....43,31934,895557 Tier 2 Total20,13521,20418,19529,51637,654 of whom were previously students....1,7302,6144,175 Tier 5 Total763956277891,074 of whom were previously students....0134210.. = not available  Source: Immigration Statistics April - June 2014 Tables ex_02 and ex_pc_01_w   The Tier 1 Post-Study work route was closed to new applications on 6 April 2012 but existing applications continued to be processed after this date.The Home Office publishes annual statistics on extensions of stay by category and previous category, in tables ex_01 to expc_01_o within the quarterly ‘Immigration Statistics’ release.A copy of the latest release, ‘Immigration Statistics April - June 2014’ is available from the Library of the House and from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Sexting: Young People

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to mobile telephone companies on their legal obligations in respect of the sending and storing of nude and sexually explicit images of people under the age of 18 by their customers.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 21 November 2014



Government cannot offer legal advice to telecommunication companies, it is for the companies to satisfy themselves that any action they take with regard to their customers and services is lawful.However the Government is committed to improving the safety of children and has a strong track-record in working with the industry to drive progress. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) is a multi-stakeholder forum which brings together government, industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups to work in partnership to help to keep children and young people safe online. It develops and promotes effective tools and information for children, parents and industry.

Asylum

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) target and (b) actual average waiting time for asylum seekers to receive an appointment for an initial screening interview is.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has an internal target of 10 days from the initial point of contact to the point the applicant attends the unit. This was introduced at the start of the current financial year.

Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in her Department were employed in non-frontline roles in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 24 November 2014



The number of staff in the Home Department employed in non frontline roles for the past 3 years is set out in Table 1. The comparative number of staff in frontline roles is also provided.The Home Office did not collect this data prior to March 2012. In response on 25th January 2012 (column 283W) to a previous parliamentary question, an estimate was made that 20% (around 5,000) of staff in the Home Department were engaged in non-frontline roles at that time.   



Staff in frontline roles
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.72 KB)

British Nationality

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from which countries from outside the UK have been granted UK citizenship in the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is given in the table below:  British citizenship grants by the top 20 previous countries of nationality, 2009 to 2013  Country of previous nationality20092010201120122013  India26,54129,40526,29028,35236,351  Pakistan20,94522,05417,64118,44521,655  Philippines11,7519,4297,1338,12210,374  Nigeria6,9537,8737,9328,8819,275  Bangladesh12,0417,9665,1495,7028,902  South Africa8,3677,4466,3516,9246,448  China6,0417,5816,9667,1987,289  Somalia8,1395,8174,6645,1435,688  Zimbabwe7,7036,3014,8775,6474,412  Sri Lanka4,7624,9445,8866,1633,855  Turkey7,2074,6303,6274,7264,184  Ghana4,6624,5513,9314,7444,675  Afghanistan5,0125,2813,9514,6003,627  Iraq5,4974,3855,7423,8222,393  Nepal1,5512,1183,4684,2827,447  Iran2,8762,5875,5404,1352,391  United States3,1162,9262,5913,3503,119  Jamaica3,1482,9582,5143,0052,874  Australia2,8902,5932,4492,7922,683  Poland4581,4191,8633,0436,066  Other previous nationality54,12952,78249,22055,13354,281  Total grants203,789195,046177,785194,209207,989  Source: Migration Statistics, Home Office Statistics Table cz 06 - Immigration Statistics April to June 2014 Top 20 previous countries of nationality based on total grants for the period 2009 to 2013  Data for every nationality is included in the regularly published table cz 06 - Immigration Statistics April to June 2014 The latest Home Office immigration statistics, including grants of British citizenship for all individual previous nationalities, 1990 to 2013, are published in the release Immigration Statistics April – June 2014, table cz_06 (Citizenship tables), which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Flexible Working

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men have made a statutory application to request flexible working in her Department; and how many of those applications have been granted to date.

Karen Bradley: Statutory requests for flexible working are decided by individual line managers in the Home Department. Information on how many requests have been made and how many granted to date is therefore not held centrally and could only be collected at disproportionate cost.

Organised Crime

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the role of the National Crime Agency in tackling organised crime throughout the UK of the UK opting-in to 35 EU crime and justice measures.

Karen Bradley: Full impact assessments have been conducted on each of the vital 35 police and criminal justice measures that the United Kingdom has sought to remain part of in the national interest. Details of these can be found in Command Paper 8897 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/326698/41670_Cm_8897_Accessible.pdf), published on 3 July 2014. Government Ministers consulted a number of operational partners, including the National Crime Agency, to help identify those measures that underpin practical cooperation. The Government believes that the 35 measures, including the European Arrest Warrant and Europol, will support and enhance the National Crime Agency’s capability to tackle organised crime throughout the United Kingdom.

Police: Pensions

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of what it would have cost to have continued paying police widows' pensions to those widows or widowers who lost their serving husbands or wives between 1987 and 2006, before officers had the option to opt in to a scheme which permitted payments to continue to a surviving spouse on remarriage.

Mike Penning: No such estimate has been made. The police pension schemes are administered locally by police forces, so data on this specific issue is not held centrally.

Offences against Children

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department expects to be shown successive versions of the final report and associated documents in the historic child abuse inquiry.

Lynne Featherstone: The final report of the Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will be shared with the Home Department before it is published. Decisions about how the Inquiry will interact with the Home Office on the final report will be taken when the Chairman is identified and is in place.

Proceeds of Crime

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Suspicious Activity Reports relating to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 have been submitted to the National Crime Agency in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: The number of Suspicious Activity Reports relating to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 submitted to the National Crime Agency, or its predecessor the Serious Organised Crime Agency, over the last five reporting years (October to September inclusive) is as follows:2013-14 – 352,8442012-13 – 315,6712011-12 – 277,9702010-11 – 246,9392009-10 – 239,983

Borders: Security

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2014 to Question 213850, what estimate she has made of the total number of vehicles entering the UK which were not subject to screening by either body scanning machines or dogs in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Africa: Females

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission a study to establish the prevalence of breast-ironing in the UK amongst the Western, Eastern and Central African disapora communities.

Lynne Featherstone: The government condemns violence against women and girls in all its forms and is clear that political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing, identifying and prosecuting practices like breast ironing.There are currently no plans to commission a study to establish the prevalence of breast-ironing in the UK amongst the Western, Eastern and Central African disapora communities.However, the government is working with local areas to support them to identify areas of need in their communities in order that they provide services to victims.Where breast ironing is practised on girls it is child abuse and should be treated as such by all frontline professionals.The clear legal frameworks that apply to child abuse apply to breast ironing.As with any other form of child abuse, any cases should be referred to the police who will investigate and where appropriate work with the CPS to prosecute.It is important that affected communities come together to speak out against such abhorrent practices and denounce them for the crimes they are.

Scotland Office

Flexible Working

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men have made a statutory application to request flexible working in his Department; and how many of those applications have been granted to date.

David Mundell: Under their terms and conditions all staff may work flexible hours.

HM Treasury

Financial Ombudsman Service

Mr Andrew Robathan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) Ombudsmen and (b) other staff the Financial Ombudsman Service employs; and what the total staffing cost of this body is.

Mr Andrew Robathan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance has been issued on the qualifications required to become an ombudsman in the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Andrea Leadsom: This is a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who are operationally independent from Government.   This question has been passed on to the FOS. The FOS will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Freezing of Assets

Rushanara Ali: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure harmonisation of the approaches of the UK, the US and the EU in freezing assets of people suspected of funding international terrorism.

Rushanara Ali: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for overseeing investigations into freezing assets of people suspected of funding international terrorism.

Andrea Leadsom: The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Deighton, is the Minister who holds the financial sanctions portfolio and is responsible for making decisions in relations to terrorist asset freezes.   There are three counter-terrorism sanctions regimes in operation in the UK – the UN’s Al Qaida sanctions regime, the EU regime targeted at non-Al Qaida terrorists external to the EU, and the UK unilateral power to freeze under the Terrorist Asset Freezing etc. Act 2010 (“TAFA”). The Foreign Office lead UK input to the UN and EU regimes. The Treasury relies upon advice from law enforcement and security agencies when considering proposals to freeze the assets under TAFA of those believed to be involved in terrorist activity. Those agencies are best placed to judge which tools, including asset freezes, are most appropriate to disrupt terrorist activity.   HM Treasury acts to implement asset freezes under the UN and EU regimes once regulations giving effect to these freezes are promulgated by the EU. The FCO leads HMG work on listings under these regimes. The Treasury administers the domestic asset freezing regime with advice from law enforcement and security agencies who are best placed to advise on the necessity of an asset freeze.   There is a high degree of overlap between UK and US terrorist asset freezing lists, though legislative differences mean that it will not always be possible for UK and US listings to be an exact mirror.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Mr Andrew Robathan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance he has issued on the provision of advice to investors by self-invested personal pensions providers.

Andrea Leadsom: The provision of advice to investors by self-invested personal pensions providers is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority. The independence of the FCA is vital to the role it provides as a safety net for consumers with complaints against financial services firms. Their credibility, authority and value to consumers would be undermined if it were possible for the Government to intervene in their decision-making.

New Businesses: Technology

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what supply side reforms he is undertaking to encourage investment in start-up technology businesses in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government has introduced a comprehensive set of measures to encourage investment in start-up and technology businesses.   Tax-advantaged venture capital schemes provide generous tax reliefs to encourage private investment. The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) introduced in 2012 and made permanent at Budget 2014 has helped over 2,000 companies raise in excess of £175m in investment.   The British Business Bank has a range of schemes to support investment in smaller companies with growth potential. The Business Angel Co-Fund has facilitated over £100m of investment in 50 high-growth companies since 2010.   Innovate UK provides support for innovative small and medium sized enterprises. Its Smart funding programme offers grants of up to £250,000 for ambitious high growth smaller businesses in technology, science or engineering industries for research and development projects.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much and what proportion of the total annual expenditure of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority was spent on activities relating to the motor insurance market in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Andrea Leadsom: EIOPA is an independent advisory body to the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. The UK government does not have responsibility for EIOPA and therefore does not hold the data requested.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much and what proportion of the total annual expenditure of the Prudential Regulation Authority was spent on activities relating to the motor insurance market in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much and what proportion of the total annual expenditure of the Financial Conduct Authority was spent on activities relating to the motor insurance market in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much and what proportion of the total annual expenditure of the Financial Services Consumer Panel was spent on activities relating to the motor insurance market in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Andrea Leadsom: The questions regarding The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Financial Services Consumer Panel are a matter for the FCA. The question regarding the expenditure of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is a matter for the PRA. These bodies are operationally independent from Government.   These questions have been passed on to the FCA and the PRA. They will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Money Laundering and Terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on measures to improve the EU's response to money laundering and terror financing.

Andrea Leadsom: Anti-money laundering regimes of EU Member States will be updated by the Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive. This Directive is yet to be finalised, but expert level discussions are ongoing and have reached the final stage of the negotiating process. The Government is engaged with other EU Member States, MEPs, the European Commission, business and civil society groups to secure an effective and proportionate outcome. The Directive duly reflects the global standards on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing revised by the Financial Action Task Force in 2012. The UK is fully supportive of these standards.

Child Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households were subject to reductions in child benefit because of an apprentice aged under 18 being in the household in 2013-14.

Priti Patel: The information is not available.

Money Laundering

Diana Johnson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Financial Conduct Authority last reviewed the performance of banks in managing high risk money-laundering situations.

Andrea Leadsom: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) conducts anti-money laundering supervision on a risk-sensitive basis, meaning that it focuses on those firms, including banks, which present the highest level of money laundering risk. For example, firms in its highest risk band, which include major banks, are subject to an in-depth ‘systematic AML Programme’, which operates on a four-year rolling cycle and lasts several months, whereas firms that are in lower risk categories are subject to regular on-site inspections and/or visited on an events-driven basis or when they are part of a thematic review.  The FCA does not comment on its ongoing AML supervision of banks, but publishes the findings of its thematic reviews, the latest of which considered how small banks manage high ML risk situations and was published in November 2014. It found that most small banks are failing effectively to manage ML risk. The results of thematic reviews are published on the FCA’s website: http://www.fca.org.uk/your-fca/documents/fsa-aml-final-report and http://www.fca.org.uk/news/tr14-16-how-small-banks-manage-money-laundering-and-sanctions-risk

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Climate Change

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what bi-lateral discussions he has had with international partners on their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions before the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has discussed the negotiations for a new global climate deal, including countries’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), with a large number of his international counterparts.

Ofgem

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 955, on off-grid gas customers, if he will make it his policy to include the off-grid gas market under the remit of Ofgem.

Matthew Hancock: The remit of Ofgem is to regulate the monopoly companies that run the electricity and gas networks. There is no natural or structural monopoly for supply and distribution in off-gas grid fuels; on the contrary, it is a competitive supply market.The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers’ Code of Practice is a binding code for their members engaged in domestic heating oil supply. Their Customer Charter also provides advice on the level of services members are expected to provide to their customers, the process for making complaints about a supplier, and advice for those with payment difficulties. The UK Liquid Petroleum Gas trade body has produced a “Vulnerable Persons Protocol” for LPG suppliers which sets out the protection embodied in contracted supply arrangements, arrangements for vulnerable customers, for customers in payment difficulties, and delivery priorities. These two sectors provide the overwhelming majority of off-grid fuel, and these trade bodies cover over 80% of the domestic heating oil used in mainland UK and 99% of bulk LPG supply.Customers of heat networks are also technically ‘off gas grid’ (representing 2% of heat demand in buildings) and they are also benefiting from development of industry-led customer protection schemes and the introduction of heat metering and billing regulations.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Annual Energy Statement of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 982, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of Ofgem's retail market reforms on the (a) comprehensibility of energy bills and (b) levels of competition in the energy market.

Matthew Hancock: In July, Ofgem published its framework for evaluating the retail market reforms and will be reporting annually on the progress of competition in the retail markets, including the impact of the retail market reforms. A full review of the package of reforms is planned for 2017.The Competition and Markets Authority will be assessing levels of competition in the retail energy markets as part of their Market Investigation into the energy markets.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 953, on energy bills, what the evidential basis was for the statement that the large energy companies are on track to have switching times by the end of 2014.

Matthew Hancock: The modifications to underpinning industry processes that were necessary to enable a halving of switching times have taken place and Energy UK members have agreed that they will all offer faster switching by the end of the year.The Department continues to work with suppliers and their representatives to ensure that they meet this commitment.

Energy: Competition

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Annual Energy Statement of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 982, what the evidential basis was for the statement that competition between energy suppliers is hotting up.

Matthew Hancock: Cornwall Energy’s report, Competition in British Household Energy Supply shows that small and medium sized suppliers are continuing to make inroads in the largest suppliers’ market share. The market share held by small and medium sized companies for dual fuel customers was 9% on 31 July 2014.This is the highest market share recorded by small and medium sized companies since the market was liberalised:http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/publication.html?task=file.download&id=4886By contrast, in 2010 the equivalent market share was less than 1% percent.Switching data compiled by Electralink shows that the number of households switching to small and medium-sized electricity suppliers continues to increase. In October Electralink recorded the highest number of net switches from large suppliers to small suppliers since records began:http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/publication.html?task=file.download&id=4911. 



Cornwall Energy report: UK Household Energy supply
(PDF Document, 735.14 KB)




Electricity switching figures October 2014
(PDF Document, 118.43 KB)

Fracking

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 952, on fracking, if he will make it his policy to ensure that baseline assessments of the level of methane in the groundwater should take place at every fracking site a full 12 months in advance.

Matthew Hancock: We support baseline monitoring, which helps ensure a rigorous post-operation assessment. The Environment Agency will require it wherever they consider groundwater to be at risk.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 959, on energy bills, which large energy companies have announced price freezes; and for how long each such company has frozen prices.

Matthew Hancock: This information is publically available from the large energy companies.

Energy: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of average debt levels of customers in debt to their energy supplier for (a) electricity and (b) gas in each of the last 10 years.

Matthew Hancock: Ofgem monitors and publishes information about the average level of debt that domestic customers owe for their gas and electricity supplies in its Social Obligations Annual Reports:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/about-us/how-we-work/working-consumers/supplier-performance-social-obligations.The table below shows the average level of debt for domestic customers with a repayment arrangement agreed with their supplier for 2005 to 2012. Ofgem did not publish data on the average level of debt for 2003 and 2004. Data for 2013 is not yet available.  20052006200720082009201020112012Electricity£173£195£180£230£277£360£357£304Gas£180£185£195£193£287£339£371£313Average debt levels for both electricity and gas are falling, having risen significantly from 2007-2010.

Coke

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the role, of coke in supplying the future energy needs of the UK.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 20 November 2014



The Digest of UK Energy Statistics presents statistics on the supply and demand of coke and coking coal in the UK. In 2013, total demand for coke was around 4.5 million tonnes of which 83% was produced domestically1.[1] DUKES, Chapter 2 – Solid fuels and derived gases: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/337589/chapter_2.pdf

Energy: Industry

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the energy efficiency industry in each year since 2005.

Amber Rudd: Holding answer received on 20 November 2014



A report published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills contains estimates of the number of jobs supported across the wider low carbon and environmental goods and services sector. The report, published in July 2013, is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-carbon-and-environmental-goods-and-services-2011-to-2012.The report does not explicitly refer to the energy efficiency sector, but it does present estimates of employment in the low carbon building technologies and energy management sectors from 2007/08 to 2011/12 (figures for earlier years are not available). The estimates of employment in the two sectors contained within the report include both those employed directly and those employed indirectly in the wider supply chain.



LCEGS Report 2011-12
(PDF Document, 2.19 MB)




LCEGS Underlying Data 2011-12
(Excel SpreadSheet, 198.5 KB)

Procurement

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department made of the implications for his decision to pay subcontracted staff in his Department the living wage of the EU public procurement regime as set out in Directive 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC.

Amber Rudd: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced back in April that the department would pay all of its employees the Living Wage from 1 April 2014. Legal advice was sought during consideration and implementation of this policy. At the time no implications in respect of the EU public procurement regime were identified.Payment of the Living Wage may fall foul of European Community law, in particular the Posted Workers Directive (PWD). This point rests on whether payment of the Living Wage is mandated, in which case there is a risk of being in breach of the PWD, or achieved through voluntary agreement. Since from a contractual perspective the changes needed mutual consent, there was no option for DECC other than to negotiate with suppliers to gain their agreement. We are satisfied therefore that this policy is compliant with EC law.

Flexible Working

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men have made a statutory application to request flexible working in his Department; and how many of those applications have been granted to date.

Amber Rudd: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not hold centrally the records of individual requests for flexible working. To identify the number of applications would involve contacting every line manager within the department and would incur disproportionate costs.

Cabinet Office

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Mr Francis Maude: Our tough spending controls have helped ensure substantial reductions in central Government spend on consultancy. Our 2013/14 spend was £316 million - an astonishing 74% reduction on spend in 2009/10 in the last year of the previous Government.Since the 2010 General Election, all use of contractors, consultants and temporary interims in my department has to go through an internal Cabinet Office approvals process which also scrutinises material cost changes to existing contracts. This was not the case under previous administrations.As part of this Government's transparency programme, we publish spend data over £25,000 and contracts over £10,000 on Gov.uk and Contracts Finder.Suppliers are required to submit a fixed fee for work and a breakdown of total costs to ensure that day rates and number of days are transparent and reasonable. Changes to requirements are agreed via a formal contract variation.

Employment: Older People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the rate of (a) employment and (b) unemployment is for people aged (i) 50, (ii) 51, (iii) 52, (iv) 53, (v) 54, (vi) 55, (vii) 56, (viii) 57, (ix) 58, (x) 59, (xi) 60, (xii) 61, (xiii) 62, (xiv) 63, (xv) 64 and (xvi) 65.

Mr Rob Wilson: Holding answer received on 24 November 2014



The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



ONS Letter to Member - Employment
(PDF Document, 133.95 KB)

Lung Cancer

Toby Perkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of lung cancer patients survived for at least two years after diagnosis in each foundation trust area in each year since 2005.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Lung Cancer Patients
(PDF Document, 103.58 KB)

Job Creation: East of England

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many new jobs have been created in each parliamentary constituency in the East of England since October 2012.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



Excel Sheet for Member - Jobs Created
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.32 KB)




ONS Letter to Member - Jobs Created
(PDF Document, 108.66 KB)

Bacterial Diseases

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Office of National Statistics plans to publish data on the mortality rate for deaths in 2013 involving (a) C.difficile and (b) MRSA in (i) England and (ii) Wales, by NHS trust.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Mortality Rate
(PDF Document, 98.6 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Arts: East Riding

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Arts Council funding has been allocated to East Yorkshire constituency in each of the last five years; and for what projects such funding was allocated.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The table shows the Arts Council England funding that has been allocated to the East Yorkshire constituency in each of the last five years:Commitment YearGrant in AidLotteryTotal2009/10£69,710£130,224£199,9342010/11£133,605£147,703£281,3082011/12£49,906£317,913£367,8192012/13£491,002£71,949£562,9512013/14£521,705£188,383£710,088Total£1,265,928  £856,172  £2,122,100  Recently supported arts organisations and projects in the East Yorkshire constituency, with amounts supported, include the following: Beverly Folk Festival http://www.beverleyfestival.com (£15,000 and £10,000)Hull Bach Choir http://www.hullbachchoir.org.uk/ (£2,970)Pocklington Arts Centre http://www.pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk (£49,923)

Arts: Nottinghamshire

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the Arts Council funding allocated to Nottinghamshire has been spent in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The table shows the Arts Council England funding that has been spent in each of the last five years: Commitment YearGrant in AidLottery2009/10£ 5,083,755£ 3,032,4612010/11£ 5,735,601£ 825,8852011/12£ 4,545,398£ 2,077,2482012/13£ 5,708,501£ 3,528,6272013/14£ 5,498,222£ 3,712,187Total£ 26,571,477  £ 13,176,408

Telecommunications: Scandinavia

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will undertake an assessment of the potential lessons that can be learned from Scandanavia in delivering (a) mobile telephone signal coverage and (b) faster broadband speeds; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not undertaken any specific assessment of the Scandinavian model for providing mobile services but as part of its long-term economic plan, Government it is working with industry to ensure that the UK has a vibrant digital economy. We are investing up to £150 million to improve mobile coverage in areas where there is currently no coverage from any of the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) through the Mobile Infrastructure Project. Additionally, we are currently consulting on proposals to improve mobile phone coverage in areas where there is a signal from one or more of the UK network operators, but not all four. The consultation closes on 26 November and is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tackling-partial-not-spots-in-mobile-phone-coverage All four MNOs are also rolling out 4G mobile services that will provide faster mobile broadband. This rollout is expected to be the quickest in Europe and should deliver excellent coverage both indoors and outdoors. As a condition of the 4G spectrum they acquired by auction in 2013, O2 has an obligation to provide indoor 4G coverage to at least 98% of the UK population (and at least 95% of the population of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) by the end of 2017. The other three MNOs have publically committed to matching this coverage by the end of 2015. This will help ensure UK consumers continue to benefit from excellent mobile services at competitive rates.

Telecommunications: Oxfordshire

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the density of population in Oxfordshire compared to the North York Moors allows residents in Oxfordshire to have better mobile telephone signal coverage and broadband provision; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This Government is committed the delivery of superfast broadband throughout the UK. We have allocated funding to projects areas to deliver superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises, for which Oxfordshire was allocated £6.21m and North Yorkshire was allocated £25.16m from central sources. Oxfordshire is anticipated to achieve 94% superfast broadband coverage and North Yorkshire, 92% superfast broadband coverage. In addition, the projects areas will benefit from delivery of the universal standard broadband and the Government is currently piloting alternative solutions with the aim of extending superfast coverage beyond 95%. The UK Government also recognises the value of mobile phone coverage in rural areas. Improving coverage is part of the Government’s wider digital inclusion agenda and investment in infrastructure for the long term economic plan. The Government’s Mobile Infrastructure Project is providing up to £150 million to improve mobile coverage in areas where there is currently no coverage from any of the MNOs and where it has not proved economical for the private sector to build infrastructure or extend their networks.

House of Commons Commission

Correspondence

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what the average daily number of letters sent from the House of Commons to each government department is.

John Thurso: In the period April 2014 to October 2014 the average number of letters sent from the House of Commons to government departments via the Inter-Despatch Service (IDS) was 159 items per day; information is not held on a departmental basis.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 15 of Mitochondrial Donation: Government response to the consultation on draft regulations to permit the use of new treatment techniques to prevent the transmission of a serious mitochondrial disease from mother to child, published in July 2014, what the evidential basis is for the statement that donated mitochondrial DNA will not affect personal characteristics.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the comments of the Chief Medical Officer of 10 November 2014 that children born through mitochondrial transfer techniques will only have the characteristics any other child would have in that family accord with the view of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Physical characteristics and personality traits are inherited from parents’ nuclear DNA. Whole mitochondrial DNA genome sequencing has revealed no evidence of nuclear genomic DNA inside mitochondria and data on the human genome available in the ENSEMBL and OMIM databases confirms that there is no nuclear genomic DNA in the mitochondria. The Revised Cambridge Reference Sequence of the Human Mitochondrial DNA, which can be found at:   http://www.mitomap.org/MITOMAP/HumanMitoSeq   details the whole mitochondrial DNA genome sequence, the codons, the proteins and the genes encoded for. All genes encoded for by mitochondrial DNA are involved in energy production, rather than governing personal characteristics and traits.   Any child born as a result of the use of mitochondrial donation techniques will be genetically unique and will have a natural combination of nuclear genes from both parents but not the mitochondrial donor. As mentioned by the Chief Medical Officer, mitochondrial DNA only encodes genes responsible for energy production and will not affect the child’s appearance, personality or any other personal characteristics.

NHS: Standards

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NHS England has to make use of the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation Scheme to improve coverage of (a) clinical audits and (b) patient experience surveys.

George Freeman: The national Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme for 2014-15 includes national indicators relating to the NHS Safety Thermometer, the Friends and Family Test (FFT), diagnosis and onward referral of patients with dementia or delirium, and assessment of physical health risk factors and provision of appropriate interventions for mental health inpatients. The FFT indicator incentivises providers to implement the FFT scheme and to achieve good response rates; the dementia indicator requires providers to undertake a carer survey; and the mental health indicator involves a specific process of national clinical audit, facilitated by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.   CQUIN applies to all providers who operate under the NHS Standard Contract. The Contract, which is used for all providers of National Health Service-funded care other than primary care, already includes as core standards for all providers requirements to: - put in place an ongoing proportionate programme of clinical audit; - participate in relevant national clinical audits under the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme; and - undertake patient, carer and staff surveys, including FFT.   NHS England is reviewing both CQUIN and the NHS Standard Contract and will be publishing updated versions of both for 2015-16 shortly.

NHS: Finance

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS (a) trusts and (b) foundation trusts recorded a deficit in each of the last three years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The number of National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in deficit in the last three years is shown in the following table:   Type of Provider2011-122012-132013-14 Number in DeficitNumber in DeficitNumber in DeficitNHS Trusts10524Foundation Trusts212140Total in Deficit312664   Notes: 1. The data in the above table is from the Final Audited Accounts. 2. In this context, ‘deficit’ refers to in-year operating deficit.

General Practitioners

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs were in practice in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The annual National Health Service General and Personal Medical Services workforce census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows the numbers of general practitioners (GPs) working in the NHS in England at 30 September each year. The total numbers of full-time equivalent GPs, including registrars and retainers working in the NHS in England for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 are shown in the following table. The latest available statistics are as at 30 September 2013 and were published on 25 March 2014.   GPs are independent contractors who hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary healthcare services for the NHS.Total GPs, including registrars and retainers in practice between 2010 and 2013   England as at 30 September full-time equivalent 201020112012201335,24335,31935,87136,294 Source: General practice workforce census

Tobacco: Packaging

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to advertise alternatives to smoking tobacco on cigarette packaging.

Jane Ellison: Smoking cessation information, to signpost consumers to quitting support, will be mandatory from May 2016 when the revised European Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU), is implemented into United Kingdom law.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people historically registered with (a) MFET Ltd. and (b) the Skipton Fund have been (i) non-hemophiliacs infected following NHS treatment with whole blood transfusions and (ii) haemophiliacs infected following NHS treatment with blood concentrate or cryoprecipitate.

Jane Ellison: Of the 395 people who have registered with MFET Ltd since its inception:   (i) 15 are individuals without bleeding disorders who were infected though treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products; and (ii) 338 are individuals with bleeding disorders who were infected through treatment with NHS-supplied blood products, such as factor concentrates and cryoprecipitate.   The remaining 42 individuals are people who were infected with HIV by their partner who was infected by treatment with NHS blood or blood products.   Of the 5,181 people who have registered with the Skipton Fund and received a Stage 1 payment as at 30 September 2014:   (i) 2,519 are individuals without a bleeding disorder, who were infected though treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products; and (ii) 2,662 are individuals with a bleeding disorder, who were infected though treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products, such as factor concentrates and cryoprecipitate.

General Practitioners: Pay

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average remuneration for (a) part-time and (b) full-time GPs in each clinical commissioning group area was in the last three years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: I hope my hon. Friend will understand that information on the average remuneration for part-time and full-time general practitioners in each clinical commissioning group is not held centrally.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the scale of the problems associated with excessive consumption of alcohol among students.

Jane Ellison: The Government’s Alcohol Strategy discussed the extent of alcohol misuse among students and the responsibilities of universities among others.   A new project designed to tackle the culture of binge drinking at universities across England and Wales has been launched by the Government and National Union of Students (NUS) in September 2014.   The NUS Alcohol Impact project supported by the Home Office and Public Health England, is developing an accreditation scheme for colleges and universities, to change student behaviours by creating a social norm of responsible alcohol consumption.   Public Health England is supporting the NUS on this project and is part of the Alcohol Impact Advisory Board. Currently seven institutions have signed up and are involved in piloting one or more innovative interventions on responsible alcohol consumption.

General Practitioners: East of England

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average distance travelled for an out-of-hours GP appointment was in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each of the last 10 years; and what the average waiting time for an out-of-hours GP appointment was in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire and (vi) Norfolk in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected centrally. NHS England has delegated the commissioning of out of hours services for general practitioner practices to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The hon. Member might therefore wish to contact local CCGs for information about out of hours performance.

NHS: Research

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to encourage and enhance research and development within the NHS.

George Freeman: There are a number of ways in which research and development is encouraged and supported in the National Health Service.   The enactment of the Health and Social Care Act was a milestone for research in the NHS, recognising the need to promote research and the use of research evidence, and creating unprecedented powers and duties at all levels to meet that need.   The Government’s Mandate to NHS England requires it: “to ensure that the new commissioning system promotes and supports participation by NHS organisations and NHS patients in research funded by both commercial and non-commercial organisations, most importantly to improve patient outcomes, but also to contribute to economic growth. This includes ensuring payment of treatment costs for NHS patients taking part in research funded by Government and Research Charity partner organisations.”   The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) was established in April 2006 following publication of a five-year strategy ‘Best Research for Best Health’. The goal of the NIHR is to create a health research system in which the NHS supports outstanding individuals, working in world class facilities, conducting leading edge research focussed on the needs of patients and the public. Aims and measures for achieving the vision of the NIHR are set out in regularly-updated briefing documents that are published on the NIHR website.   Health research remains a Government priority; the Department’s revenue spend on research has increased from £885 million in 2009-10 to planned investment of £1,077 million in 2014-15. The Department’s research and development budget funds the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Department’s Policy Research Programme.   NIHR’s approach has generated widespread support for research from the NHS, academia and industry. This includes: - investment in research infrastructure and increasing the attractiveness of the United Kingdom as a site for life science industry investment - through NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, Units and the Clinical Research Network; - speeding up the translation of advances in basic science into tangible benefits for patients - through NIHR Clinical Research Facilities for Experimental Medicine; - increasing the capacity and the capability of the NHS to support research funded by research councils and charities - through the NIHR Clinical Research Network; - supporting clinicians at all stages of their careers – through the NIHR Integrated Academic Training programme; - increasing the quality and volume of applied health research focused on the needs of patients and the public - through NIHR Research Programmes; and - transforming the health research system to be transparent, competitive, and based on quality and relevance - by embedding research as a core function of the NHS.

Christmas

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much (a) Monitor, (b) Public Health England and (c) NHS England spent on Christmas decorations in 2013-14; and how much each body is planning to spend on such decorations in 2014-15.

Dr Daniel Poulter: In 2013-14 Monitor spent £291 on Christmas decorations and in 2014-15 will spend an estimated £460.   In 2013-14, Public Health England spent £193.05 on Christmas decorations which will be re-used in future years.   NHS England does not specifically capture this data. However the majority of buildings occupied are provided by external companies and they are responsible for the decorations in public areas.

Food: Labelling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the effect on the food industry of the Food Information Regulations 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: No representations have been received on the effect on the food industry of the Food Information Regulations 2014. The Department worked closely with stakeholders during the negotiations on the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation to ensure that their views were taken into account in the formulation of our policy on the Regulation.

Infectious Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research he has commissioned on the use of on-the-spot testing for infections and the effect of this on the use of antibiotics.

George Freeman: The Department recently commissioned a review of diagnostics in use or in development for point-of-care testing for infectious disease. This will support the development of better antibiotic prescribing practice. The review has been carried out by the University of Oxford. The report has now been received by the Department and publication plans are being developed.   The National Institute for Health Research is funding a £1.4 million study of primary care use of a C-Reactive Protein point-of-care test to help target antibiotic prescribing to patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are most likely to benefit. The report is expected to be published in February 2018.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of increased Nursing and Midwifery Council registration fees on the number of nurses and midwives in England.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is an independent body. Accordingly the NMC is responsible for determining the level of the annual fee it charges for registration and for considering the impact of any proposed fee increase on nurses and midwives.

Suicide: Young People

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the increasing levels of youth suicide across the UK.

Norman Lamb: Data on suicides is published by the Office for National Statistics. In the most recent data, Suicides in the United Kingdom, 2012 Registrations, there were 5,981 suicides in people aged 15 and over in the United Kingdom in 2012, 64 fewer than in 2011. Only people aged 15 and over are included in suicide data. The statistics are available at:   http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_351100.pdf.   Statistics on suicide for young people aged 15 to 24 in the UK are in the following table.   Age-specific suicide rates by five-year age group, United Kingdom1   15-19 20-24 DeathsRate DeathsRate  20031824.8 43611.620042065.3 39310.220051904.9 3909.920061784.5 3659.120071834.6 3648.920081934.8 3999.620091804.5 3889.420101664.1 42810.220111944.9 4279.920121644.2 4079.4   1The age-specific suicide rate per 100,000 population The Department is responsible for health matters in England only.   The Suicide Prevention Strategy, Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives is backed by £1.5 million funding, through the Policy Research Programme, which is supporting six projects to help us better understand key aspects of suicide and self-harm, including looking at self-harm in young people and the role of the internet and social media.   Public Health England (PHE) has published a new suicide prevention action plan for local authorities that provides clear guidance on ways to reduce numbers of suicides, particularly amongst at-risk young people. The action plan will help local areas to intervene more effectively and appropriately, including speeding up the provision of support for bereaved families, friends and communities. Working with the Samaritans, PHE will continue to raise the profile of the issues at a national Suicide Prevention Conference early next year. The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness at the University of Manchester will be setting up a national investigation into suicides by young people under 25, which will be covering antecedents such as bullying, use of social media and contact with services. This investigation will be funded by NHS England and is due to begin in April 2015.   In August 2014, I established the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being Taskforce, which is considering how to improve the way children and young people’s mental health services are organised, commissioned and provided.   The Department has funded the MindEd e-learning portal that seeks to support any adult working with children and young people. This includes content on dealing with suicide and self-harm.   Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020 contains the first waiting time standards for mental health, including a standard for Early Intervention in Psychosis services which will be of benefit to young people and a £30 million increased investment in liaison psychiatry. This will help people including young people presenting in accident and emergency departments with mental health problems.

Meningitis: Vaccination

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent progress has been made on vaccination for meningitis B.

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended a national meningococcal B (MenB) immunisation programme for infants, subject to the vaccine, Bexsero® being obtained at a cost-effective price.   We have accepted the JCVI’s recommendation and the Department is continuing negotiations for the supply of Bexsero® with the manufacturer, which will be completed as quickly as practicable.

Doctors: Vacancies

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the vacancy rate for medical practitioners in the NHS.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information is not collected by the Department. The last annual NHS and General Practitioners Practice vacancy surveys in England were undertaken by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in 2010. The surveys were suspended in 2011 and then discontinued in 2013 following the publication of the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which aimed to reduce the burden of the collection of data from NHS organisations.

Locums

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of how much was spent on locum doctors in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department collects spend on agency and contract staff (which would include locum doctors) but locum doctors are not identified separately.   Following the Francis[1] report many trusts increased their spend on temporary staffing, including locum doctors, to meet safe staffing levels.   The Department expects trusts to have a strong grip on their finances, and manage their contract and agency[2] staffing spend (including use of locum doctors) responsibly through effective and efficient workforce planning and management. [1] http://www.midstaffspublicinquiry.com/[2]The definition of Contract / Agency staff is: “Agency” employee payments for the employment of staff where the staff remain employees of the agency and “Contract staff” where the NHS trust has control over numbers and qualifications of staff (in contrast to a service obtained under contract) .

Thalidomide

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to discuss with the National Advisory Council of the Thalidomide Trust a contribution by his Department towards the health costs of British Thalidomide survivors; and if he will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the government of Germany makes appropriate financial contributions to British victims of Thalidomide; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: On 20 December 2012, I announced a new 10-year grant to the Thalidomide Trust worth in the region of £80 million. The grant was made in recognition of the complex and highly specialised needs that thalidomiders have, particularly as they approach older age, and will enable the Thalidomide Trust and its members to explore more innovative ways of preventing further deterioration in the health of Thalidomide survivors in England and to help them to preserve their independence.   I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014 and subsequently wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments asking if she would meet with the Trust.

Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department does hold the information requested. Information for all contracts is however not held centrally and to provide a complete answer would require a review of each individual contract and invoice payment, and would result in disproportionate cost. Departmental expenditure with all suppliers is subject to rigorous procurement controls from initial formation of the contract to invoicing for services once they have been delivered.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many new registrations there (a) have been with MFET Ltd and (b) were with MSPT 1 and MSPT 2 since those organisations were first established; whether new registrants are entitled to any lump sum payments; and when the most recent new registrant was registered with those bodies.

Jane Ellison: Since inception, 395 individuals have registered with MFET Ltd, with the most recent registration approved in 2013.   Approximately 1,250 individuals who were infected directly as a result of their treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products have received payments from the Macfarlane Special Payments Trust (MSPT) and the Macfarlane Special Payments Trust No2 (MSPT2), now dormant. Any new registrant whose claim is approved receives lump sum payments equal to what they would have received under MSPT and MSPT2.

Hospitals: Admissions

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with (a) fractured neck of femur, (b) appendectomy, (c) drainage of abscess, (d) essential hypertension (diabetes related), (e) chronic ischaemic heart disease (diabetes related), (f) acute myocardial infarction (diabetes related), (g) stroke (diabetes related), (h) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (i) asthma, (k) congestive heart failure (diabetes related), (l) peripheral vascular disease (diabetes related), (m) chronic kidney failure (diabetes related), (n) lower limb amputation (but excluding patients with malignancies or injury/trauma) (diabetes related) were readmitted to hospital within 28 days in each NHS commissioner area in each of the last five years.

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the standardised ratio for mortality in hospital within 30 days of admission was for people with (a) fractured neck of femur, (b) appendectomy, (c) drainage of abscess, (d) essential hypertension (diabetes related), (e) chronic ischaemic heart disease (diabetes related), (f) acute myocardial infarction (diabetes related), (g) stroke (diabetes related), (h) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (i) asthma, (k) congestive heart failure (diabetes related), (l) peripheral vascular disease (diabetes related), (m) chronic kidney failure (diabetes related), (n) lower limb amputation (but excluding patients with malignancies or injury/trauma) (diabetes related) in each NHS commissioner area in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Diabetes

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have had their feet amputated as a result of diabetes in each NHS commissioning area in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The attached table shows both Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of diabetes and a primary or secondary procedure of amputation of the foot or toe, as well as National Diabetes Audit (NDA) figures for the number of diabetes patients in the audit having major or minor amputations the following year. The NDA figures are only available for 2009-10 and 2010-11.   Reference should be made to the notes provided with the table when interpreting these figures.   



Diabetic Amputations 2008-13
(Excel SpreadSheet, 68.64 KB)

Diabetes

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many adult patients on insulin therapy have been offered an Insulin Passport in each NHS commissioning area in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: We do not hold information on the number of adult patients on insulin therapy who have been offered an Insulin Passport in each NHS commissioning area in each of the last five years.

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to improve the performance of the North East Ambulance Service.

Jane Ellison: The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is performing well against national standards. Latest data for September 2014 shows the Foundation Trust to be meeting all three national standards:   Red1 A - 76.2% (standard 75%) Red2 A - 75.4% (standard 75%) A19 - 95.0% (standard 95%)   The Foundation Trust also met the three targets in 2013-14 as a whole.   As part of overall operational resilience planning for winter, we have provided an additional £50 million to be divided between all ambulance trusts to support them in managing extra demand.

Drugs: Licensing

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent officials in his Department work on the availability of off-patent drugs to be used in new indications.

George Freeman: These issues are relevant to the responsibilities of a number of officials in the Department and in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The amount of official time spent on such issues is not fixed and will vary.

Skipton Fund

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 28 November 2012 to Question 129969 and pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2014 to Question 213610, what the reason is for the different figures for the number of people eligible for £25,000 top-ups to their Skipton Fund lump sum payments; and what steps his Department took to contact those people to inform them of their eligibility.

Jane Ellison: The figure of 901 quoted in the Answer of 28 November 2012 to Question 129969 was an estimate provided by the Skipton Fund. Similarly, the eligibility figure of 886 quoted in the Answer of 17 November 2014 to Question 213610 is the Skipton Fund’s current estimate. The difference between the two estimates has arisen because it took some time for the Skipton Fund to update its processes when the stage 2 payment was increased from £25,000 to £50,000 in January 2011. As a result, some new stage 2 recipients received two payments of £25,000, rather than one payment of £50,000. Those individuals were also included in the estimate of 901.   The changes to the scheme were advertised on the Skipton Fund website and everybody who registered a telephone number with the Fund was telephoned on multiple occasions. An email was sent to everybody who registered an email address with the Fund. For anybody still not found using telephone numbers and/or email addresses a letter was sent to the doctor who completed their stage 2 application form.

Drugs: Licensing

Mr John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Second Reading of the Off-patent Drugs Bill on 7 November 2014, Official Report, column 1120, in what ways the Secretary of State's proposed duties in the Bill could create a conflict of interest; and what assessment he has made of whether such a conflict could be mitigated by delegating the Secretary of State's duties to a separate body.

George Freeman: The Secretary of State for Health is responsible for the United Kingdom medicines licensing system and therefore for its operation and integrity. If he became a regular applicant for licences there would be a perceived conflict of interest between his role as an applicant competing in the medicines market and his role as an impartial overseer of the system. If he directed another body to make licence applications on his behalf we judge that this could incur similar risks.

Hospitals: Admissions

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rate of emergency hospital admissions was for people with (a) fractured neck of femur, (b) appendectomy, (c) drainage of abscess, (d) essential hypertension (diabetes related), (e) chronic ischaemic heart (disease diabetes related), (f) acute myocardial infarction (diabetes related), (g) stroke (diabetes related), (h) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (i) asthma, (k) congestive heart failure (diabetes related), (l) peripheral vascular disease (diabetes related), (m) chronic kidney failure (diabetes related), (n) lower limb amputation (but excluding patients with malignancies or injury/trauma) (diabetes related) in each NHS commissioner area in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not available in the format requested.   Information concerning the number of finished admission episodes and a rate per 100,000 of the population where the method of admission was an emergency by primary care trust of residence for the years 2008-09 to 2012-13 is attached.   It should be noted that this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period. 



FAEs for emergency admissions by PCT of residence
(Excel SpreadSheet, 162.43 KB)

Hospitals: Admissions

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average length of stay in hospital was for people with (a) fractured neck of femur, (b) appendectomy, (c) drainage of abscess, (d) essential hypertension (diabetes related), (e) chronic ischaemic heart disease (diabetes related), (f) acute myocardial infarction (diabetes related), (g) stroke (diabetes related), (h) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (i) asthma, (k) congestive heart failure (diabetes related), (l) peripheral vascular disease (diabetes related), (m) chronic kidney failure (diabetes related), (n) lower limb amputation (but excluding patients with malignancies or injury/trauma) (diabetes related) in each NHS commissioner area in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is attached. 



FDEs and mean/median length of stay 2008 to 2013
(Excel SpreadSheet, 344 KB)

Diabetes

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions has he had with NHS England on the future funding of the Patient Experience of Diabetes Survey.

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 111WH, on Melbourne Declaration on diabetes, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with NHS England on plans to roll out the diabetes patient experience survey across all NHS services in England.

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 11WH, on Melbourne Declaration on diabetes, when NHS England plans to roll out the diabetes patient experience survey across all NHS services in England.

Mr Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the results of the pilot Patient Experience of Diabetes Services survey published in June 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Patient Experience of Diabetes Services survey is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, on behalf of NHS England, and delivered by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, working in collaboration with Diabetes UK and Public Health England (PHE). It will therefore be a matter for PHE and NHS England to decide on future plans for this survey.   There has been no decision made about the future of the Patient Experience of Diabetes Survey. NHS England is currently reviewing the whole National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme collectively, including the pilots that have reported. The first of these meetings was on 11 November.   My Rt. hon. Friend, The Secretary of State meets with NHS England on a weekly basis and discusses a wide range of healthcare issues.   However, there have been no specific discussions between the Secretary of State for Health and NHS England on the future funding of the Patient Experience of Diabetes Survey or between Ministers and officials of the Department and NHS England on plans to roll out the diabetes patient experience survey across all NHS services in England.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 17 November 2014 to Question 213661, what estimate he has made of the number of Stage 2 HCV infectees who contracted the virus following treatment with NHS blood products who were (a) registered and (b) not registered with the Skipton Fund who have not yet accessed ongoing payments from the Skipton Fund.

Jane Ellison: Relating to individuals already registered with the Skipton Fund, the estimate of Stage 2 hepatitis C virus infectees who contracted the virus following treatment with NHS-supplied blood products and who have not yet accessed ongoing payments from the Skipton Fund is 27. However, our records do not indicate whether these 27 individuals are still living.   It is not possible to provide an estimate relating to individuals not registered with the Skipton Fund.

NHS

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which (a) accident and emergency departments, (b) NHS trusts, (c) NHS foundation trusts and (d) mental health trusts he has visited in an official capacity in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15 to date.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Holding answer received on 24 November 2014



The Secretary of State for Health and his Ministerial team have undertaken the following visits to National Health Service trusts, NHS foundation trusts (including where they visited an accident and emergency department) and mental health trusts in an official capacity in 2013-14 and 2014-15 to date.   Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt 11 January 2013Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 28 January 2013Airedale Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 21 March 2013Worthing Hospital, Western Sussex NHS Foundation Trust 3 April 2013St Thomas' Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 4 April 2013Newham Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust 5 April 2013Salford Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 11 April 2013Watford General Hospital, West Hertfordshire NHS Trust 18 April 2013George Elliot Hospital NHS Trust 9 May 2013Chelsea and Westminster, NHS Foundation Trust 16 May 2013Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 23 May 2013University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 24 May 2013Banstead Ambulance Call Centre, South East Coast NHS Foundation Trust 7 June 2013Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 20 June 2013Royal Victoria Infirmary NHS Foundation Trust 21 June 2013University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 4 July 2013Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust 5 July 2013Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 24 July 2013Guys Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 6 August 2013Kings College London NHS Foundation Trust 8 August 2013Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 12 September 2013Moorfield’s Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 10 October 2013Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 18 October 2013Harrogate Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 14 November 2013Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 28 November 2013University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 5 December 2013Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 23 December 2013Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 16 January 2014Goole Community Hospital, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust 23 January 2014London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 6 February 2014Redwoods Centre, South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust 13 February 2014Basildon Hospital Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Foundation Trust 06 March 2014East Surrey Hospital NHS Trust 13 March 2014Springfield Hospital, South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust 21 March 2014Farnham Road Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 10 April 2014Northern General Hospital Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1 May 2014East London NHS Foundation Trust 13 June 2014United College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 26 June 2014Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 4th August 2014Royal County Surrey Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust 26 August 2014Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust (Fulham site) 28 August 2014Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 18 September 2014Medway Maritime Hospital, Medway NHS Foundation Trust 16 October 2014Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 6 November 2014Wycombe Hospital Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust  Dr Daniel Poulter MP 17 January 2013Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust17 January 2013Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust24 January 2013City of Coventry Health Centre and St Michael’s Children’s Centre, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust13 February 2013Evelina Childrens Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust28 February 2013University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust21 March 2013Newark Hospital Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust21 March 2013Lincoln County Hospital United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trusts21 March 2013Grantham and District Hospital Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trusts28 March 2013Barnet Family Nurse Partnership East London NHS Trust18 April 2013Penrith Hospital Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation TrustPenrith Ambulance Station North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust25 April 2013Hexham Hospital Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust25 April 2013Royal Victoria Infirmary NHS Foundation Trust9 May 2013Royal Bournemouth NHS Foundation Trust and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust16 May 2013Alexandra Hospital Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust16 May 2013Kidderminster Hospital Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust6 June 2013Conquest Hospital East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust6 June 2013Royal Sussex County Hospital Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust20 June 2013Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust4 July 2013Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust5 September 2013Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust17 October 2013Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust17 October 2013Walsall Manor Hospital NHS Trust17 October 2013City Hospital Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust24 October 2013Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust24 October 2013Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust13 November 2013Princess Royal Hospital, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust13 November 2013New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust21 November 2013Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust21 November 2013St Michaels Hospital, Bristol, University Hospital Bristol NHS Trust21 November 2013Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust21 November 2013Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust5 December 2013Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust5 December 2013Norfolk and Norwich Hospital NHS Foundation Trust12 December 2013Loughborough Community Hospital, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust13 February 2014Derriford Hospital, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust6 March 2014Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust6 March 2014Rosie Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust20 March 2014University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust20 March 2014Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust27 March 2014Pilgrim Hospital, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust3 April 2014Queen Alexandra Hospital and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust10 April 2014Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust11 April 2014Musgrove Park Hospital NHS Trust11 April 2014Weston General Hospital, Weston Health NHS Trust23 April 2014Queen Alexandra Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust28 April 2014Raynes Park Health Centre, Kingston Hospital NHS Trust8 May 2014Bethlem Royal Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust8 May 2014The Royal Princess University Hospital, Kings College NHS Foundation Trust11 September 2014Royal Sussex County Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust11 September 2014The Royal Princess University Hospital, Kings College NHS Foundation Trust16 October 2014Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust16 October 2014Bedford Hospital NHS Trust23 October 2014Musgrove Park Hospital NHS Trust23 October 2014South Mead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust   The Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP 25 January 2013James Paget Hospital Foundation Trust7 February 2013Warneford Hospital, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust27 February 2013Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust6 June 2013Potters Bar Community Hospital, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust4 July 2013Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust19 August 2013Leicester Mental Health Triage Car Project, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust21 August 2013Hinchingbrooke Hospital NHS Trust12 September 2013Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust30 October 2013Memorial Hospital, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust31 October 2013Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust28 September 2013Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust28 November 2013Guys Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust19 December 2013Broadmoor Hospital West London Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust13 February 2014Mile End Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust17 February 2014Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust13 June 2014Aintree Hospital NHS Foundation Trust13 June 2014Rathbone Hospital and Mersey Care, Mersey Care NHS Trust18 August 2014St Aubyn Centre North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust10 September 2014Broadmoor Hospital West London Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust15 October 2014Torbay Hospital South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust Jane Ellison MP23 December 2013Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust6 March 2014Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust16 April 2014Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust   The Rt Hon Earl Howe 17 April 2013William Harvey Hospital, East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust30 May 2013Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust14 November 2013Bristol Hospital NHS Foundation Trust21 November 2013Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust15 November 2013Paignton Hospital and Torbay Hospital, Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust27 March 2014Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust1 April 2014St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust9 April 2014University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust10 April 2014Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust29 May 2014Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust24 June 2014Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust9 September 2014Whittington Hospital NHS Trust9 September 2014St Charles Hospital, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust10 September 2014North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust20 November 2014Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Airedale Hospital NHS Foundation Trust   George Freeman MP 5 September 2014Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust17 September 2014Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Health Professions: Regulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish his response to the Law Commission Review of the Regulation of Health Care Professionals published in April 2014; and what his policy is towards the proposal that the Nursing and Midwifery Council should close the specialist public health nursing part of their register.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Law Commissions’ review of the regulation of health professionals proposed that the third part (Specialist Community Public Health Nurse) of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s register should be removed and should be replaced with annotations to the register to denote those currently registered in the third part of the register. The Department is considering the Law Commission’s proposals and is working closely with the regulatory bodies and the Professional Standards Authority to inform our response, which we will publish in due course. The Government’s views on this, and all other recommendations made by the Law Commissions, will be outlined in this response.

Antibiotics

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he issues on the commissioning of novel antibiotics designed to treat life-threatening infections at a national level through NHS England's specialised commissioning system.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Generally antibiotic use is determined locally and is driven by microbiology departments and by local antibiotic resistance patterns. There are two specific areas of specialised commissioning where provisions for antibiotics are relevant. A national policy for cystic fibrosis is already available (http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/a01-ps-a.pdf) and a policy covering treatment of multi drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) is being developed. This new policy should be introduced from April 2015 and hopes to set policy for Bedaquiline and possibly Delamanid, two drugs recently launched into the United Kingdom market for multidrug resistant TB.

Antibiotics

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government's response to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report, Ensuring access to working antimicrobials, Cm, 8919, whether his Department is working on potential alternative pricing and reimbursement mechanisms for novel antibiotics in advance of the conclusion of the O'Neill Review; and what plans he has to explore new funding mechanisms with industry in the interim.

George Freeman: As part of the United Kingdom’s antimicrobial resistance strategy, we have been working with industry and with other national and international stakeholders on how best to stimulate the development of new antibiotics, diagnostics and potential business models as well as on research into antimicrobial resistance.   We will continue to explore what can be done to support antimicrobial diagnostics and drug development pending the announcement by the independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance of its conclusions.

Health Services: Veterans

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to check on the health of service personnel who were wounded or hurt in the Second World War and subsequent conflicts.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Government continues to improve the health services available to veterans, investing over £22 million in providing enhanced mental health and prosthetic services. This includes the provision of nine prosthetic centres for veterans who have lost a limb as a result of their service, ten veterans’ mental health teams, a 24 hour helpline, an online counselling service and the funding of specialist post-traumatic stress disorder services through Combat Stress.   The Department and NHS England have increased communications with general practiontioners and others in the National Health Service, to highlight the health needs of veterans and the wider Armed Forces community.

Bayer

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with Bayer plc in the last five years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:   www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings   Details of meetings with officials are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to negotiate an agreement on the price of the vaccine for meningococcal B.

Jane Ellison: The Department is continuing negotiations with the manufacturer to seek to agree a cost-effective price for the supply of the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero. The negotiations will be completed as quickly as practicable.

Dialysis Machines

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made by NHS England of the specialist skills and knowledge required to commission dialysis.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps NHS England has taken to ensure a safe transition of responsibility for dialysis commissioning to clinical commissioning groups from April 2015.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training and educational support will be provided by NHS England to commissioners in clinical commissioning groups to assist them in effectively commissioning dialysis from April 2015.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that it is in dialogue with key stakeholders about both the opportunities and challenges of transferring responsibility for renal services. The head of the Specialised Services Task Force in NHS England recently met stakeholders from renal service representative groups and heard their concerns directly. A new Task & Finish group is being established by NHS England through the NHS Commissioning Assembly. This group will look specifically at what support clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) would require to be able to safely and effectively commission services devolved to them.   The Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group (PSSAG) is a Department of Health appointed expert committee which was established in 2013 to provide the Secretary of State with advice and recommendations on specialised services. The PSSAG meets multiple times a year. The PSSAG met and formulated its recommendations on 30 September 2014, which concluded transferring commissioning responsibility for renal services. The Department intends to launch a public consultation before the end of 2014. The consultation will consider how to transfer commissioning responsibility and what would need to happen to ensure a smooth transition and maintain both service standards and patient safety.   NHS England is committed to issuing commissioning guidance for the safe transfer of services from national NHS England responsibility to local CCG responsibility.

Paracetamol

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse was of prescriptions issued for paracetamol in England in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions have been issued for paracetamol in England in each of the last two years.

George Freeman: Information on the number and net ingredient cost of prescription items for paracetamol1 dispensed in the community in England is in the table.   YearPrescription Items(000s)Net Ingredient Cost(£000s)2012-1321,963.273,793.92013-1422,616.583,146.6 1Excludes combination medicines. Includes multiple packs per item and a range of formulations, including those produced specific to patient needs Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system provided by the NHS Business Services Authority

Mental Health Services: Young People

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve mental health services for young people.

Norman Lamb: The Government is determined to make sure children and young people get the mental health care they need, and are taking a number of steps to address this.   The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce was launched in August 2014 to look at how to improve children and young people’s access to mental health services which are more responsive to their needs. It will focus on innovative solutions to improve access to help and support across the sectors, including in schools, through voluntary organisations and online. The Taskforce will report next spring.   The Department has invested £7 million in new Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services specialised Tier 4 beds, £54 million into the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme and £3 million in MindEd, which provides clear guidance on children and young people's mental health, wellbeing and development to any adult working with children, young people and families. The Department is seeking to procure a new survey of child and adolescent mental health. We are also introducing a new waiting time standard to make sure young people with psychosis get prompt treatment.   Public Health England has recently published a framework that addresses the mental health of young people, commissioning the Institute of Health Equity to produce evidence based briefings on parenting programmes and publishing a briefing for head teachers which makes the link between education attainment and pupil health and wellbeing.   Public Health England will also be publishing a framework for local authorities to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for young people aged 10 – 24. In all these products, mental health and wellbeing are key features.

General Practitioners

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) each surgery in the North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group area and (b) each Clinical Commissioning Group area in England were unable to get a GP appointment within 48 hours in each month since 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Data on waiting times to see a general practitioner (GP) is not collected.   The 48 hour waiting time target was removed because it was too inflexible in meeting the needs of patients. The GP patient survey showed that the proportion of people who wanted to get an appointment within two days (and were able to) actually fell between 2008-09 and 2009-10 i.e. when the 48 hour target was in place.

Lung Cancer

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of lung cancer patients in each foundation trust area received radiotherapy treatment in each year since 2005.

Jane Ellison: This information is not held centrally.

General Practitioners

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment of GPs.

Dr Daniel Poulter: There are over 1,000 more general practitioners (GPs) working and in training from the position in September 2010, the most recent figures after the General Election.   Health Education England (HEE) is reviewing the GP recruitment process and developing a pre-GP year to give exposure and experience to prospective GP applicants.   HEE is also developing a returner and refresher scheme for GPs who want to re-enter the workforce.

NHS: Standards

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to measure and improve patient experience and compassionate care.

Mr Jeremy Hunt: One year on from the Government’s formal response to the Francis Report on the failings of care at Mid Staffs, this Government has taken significant strides to improve and measure patient experience and compassionate care.   We have introduced a series of measures to increase the safety, transparency and accountability of the National Health Service – including a rigorous and independent new inspection regime for hospitals and a robust special measures regime to turn around any failing trusts.  4.3 million people have completed the Friends & Family Test, with feedback used locally to improve care.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission a prevalence study on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Jane Ellison: We are exploring whether and how the United Kingdom might participate in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global prevalence study on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which is just starting.   As this consideration is at an early stage we cannot, for example, make any commitment now on funding. We will work with the WHO and UK experts to consider how the UK could best support the WHO work.

Mental Health Services: Children

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of child and adolescent mental health services.

Norman Lamb: The recent NHS England CAMHS Tier 4 Report and Health Committee report on child and adolescent mental health found variation in services. The Taskforce on Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing is considering ways to improve access and ensure services are more responsive to children and young people’s needs.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to reduce the number of patients attending A&E departments.

Jane Ellison: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.